


let's embrace the point of no return

by cabooseachievables



Category: Power Rangers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-11-04 05:16:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10984131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cabooseachievables/pseuds/cabooseachievables
Summary: After she gets exiled by her family, Trini leaves to find a new purpose with some friends she meets along the way. They travel to a new kingdom and decide to become knights-- and when Trini meets a girl named Kimberly, things get complicated.(A Medieval/Knight/Princess AU for the soul.)





	1. a thief in black

 

Trini was born into a royal family.

 

There are plenty of girls who would, well, die to be in her place. And Trini _really_ wishes they would, because she despises it.

 

Being a princess is not necessarily the part she hates about this. Because, really, being a princess has plenty of perks, don’t get her wrong (free bread from the kingdom’s best baker, for instance, is enough to satisfy her for a whole twenty four hours).

 

What she hates is everything _else_ ; a mother always on her back about behavior, the crushing weight of expectations, the unwanted attention, and _god_ , those dresses that she has to wear are hellish. The one she had to wear last week at the kingdom ball was so obnoxious she honestly considered laying down in the middle of the road. If the night had gone on for any longer than it did, she would have.

 

Even though it was a role she’d been born into, Trini was never ready for it. Some girls are built for the job, being elegant and proper, yet focused enough to rule a kingdom one day. Trini, on the other hand, didn’t care for “being elegant” or as her mother liked to call it, “acting like a lady.” It was dumb, and not how she wanted to live her life.

 

The relationship Trini has with her mother is… a strained one, at the very least. The queen is always asking so much of her, demanding that she act certain ways. Trini had been walking on a thin line since the _incident—_  a night where she’d been too careless. She invited over a girl from the village, a miner’s girl she’d been seeing secretly for a few weeks. They were in Trini’s room when her mother walked in on them together, and the girl was banished from entering the castle ever again. Trini never saw her again. Her mother acted like nothing happened. They’ve been arguing for months.

 

For the time being, the queen asked Trini to join her in a walk through the castle.

 

It only solidifies why she hates being a princess so much.

 

“Your father and I were speaking to the family of Adridon at the ball last week,” her mother says, leading them down one of their castle’s many corridors. Servants bustle by with what Trini could only imagine is a thousand things to do before sunset, all by her mother’s orders. The giant windows let in a soft breeze from outside. “They’re looking to marry their prince soon, you know.”

 

Trini freezes in place, because she knows exactly where her mother is going with this. It’s happened before, and Trini has barely been able to swat the attempts each time. There’s only so many times she can get away with it. She can’t make eye contact, not right now, so she stares out the window as she begins to speak. “Mom, I—”

 

“Did you see him? He was such a handsome boy,” her mom cuts her off, just a hint of strain in her voice. Trini hears it as clear as day. “I’m sure you two would hit it off.”

 

Trini watches the kingdom move, thrive, in the sunlight. Merchants moving their carts and children running in the streets with laughter that doesn’t quite meet her ears. Everything is so _bright_ in this kingdom; nearly everything is decorated in yellow. A color of happiness, her father said one day, but Trini only seems to find annoyance in it. It wasn’t her decision, though, and the people don’t seem to mind the bright color everywhere. They’re not the greatest, most wealthy kingdom, but at least they have optimism. “No, mom,” she says, fist clenching by her side. “I didn’t see him. And I don’t want to meet him, either.”

 

There’s one dreadful second of silence.

 

“Well, I’m sure we could… find someone else,” her mother breathes, agitation present with every word she speaks. “Perhaps the Solion boy is looking for a wife? I think you two would—”

 

“No!” Trini protests, closing her eyes and wincing at the increased volume of her own voice.

 

“What is _wrong_ with you?”

 

Trini finally looks at her mom, eyes wide in shock, only to meet a scowl. “What?”

“You have plenty of perfect boys willing to marry you, Trini! Won’t you at least try to be cooperative for once?” Her mom shouts, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

 

“What if I don’t—” Trini stops herself, feeling her heart beat rapidly in fear. There’s no turning back now, she decides, because any longer and she’ll be forced to meet a boy that she’ll never be interested in. She needs to say _something_. “What if I don’t want to marry a boy?”

 

Her mother comes to a complete halt.

 

“What if… I only like girls, mom?” She manages to squeeze the words out of her lungs. There’s vulnerability in her statement, she knows it, because her voice comes out softer and squeakier than it normally does. Moments pass. Trini feels like she might throw up.

 

“Leave my kingdom,” her mother says finally, a coldness in her eyes that wasn’t there before. Trini feels all oxygen leave her lungs. _No. No, no, no._

 

“What?” Trini gasps, fists clenched so hard that she can feel her nails digging into her skin. A servant nearly trips as he passes by the conversation. “Mom, you can’t—”

 

“I told you to leave my kingdom, and you will leave. If you are seen here ever again, I’ll make sure you end up in the dungeon,” she states, turning away from Trini harshly. There are servants watching now, eyes drawn to the commotion between them, and Trini can feel her world collapsing around her. “The only respectable children in this family are your brothers. Now leave, before I inform your father.”

 

Trini watches her _mother—_  the queen— walk away on the maroon rug decorating the corridor. Tears well up in her eyes, and she takes forceful breaths as her body shudders. She’s been exiled from her own family, her own home, her own _kingdom_ , the only world she’s ever known. There’s no way her father would allow this, would he?

 

The truth is, he would, with persuasion from her mother.

 

Trini feels a stay tear run down her face. There’s nothing left for her here.

 

So she goes to her room, puts on the most basic clothes she owns along with a light cloak thrown over her shoulders, and she runs.

   
\--

 

By the time Trini reaches the gates of the kingdom, she’s out of breath with eyes clouded by tears. It’s a wonder she didn’t crash into anything (or anyone). The gate is there, waiting, tall and golden and welcoming to outsiders who wish to visit. The gates welcome anyone— anyone but her. There’s anger that swells in her chest, a large, growing beast, but there’s nothing she can change right now. Trini steps out of the kingdom between the gates, dodging an incoming merchant cart, and realizes that there’s no going back. With the long sleeve of her shirt, she clears the wetness on her face and from her eyes.

 

All there is on the outside is trees. Giant, beautiful trees that grow nearly as tall as the castle in the center of their kingdom. Birds fly between them, at peace and singing songs that Trini hears every morning through the windows of her bedroom.

 

“Wow, you’re looking rough,” a male voice comments, snapping Trini out of her admiration. She swerves, turning to face a boy sitting against a broken tree stump. He has to be around her age judging by appearance, with dark black hair and long legs that probably make him at least a foot taller. Trini has never seen him before, and it’s obvious why; his clothes are more worn out, as if money isn’t exactly something he’s familiar with. She just blinks at him until he laughs, apologizing. “Sorry, didn’t mean to ruin your moment. I’ve never seen you before, and it looks like you’ve had a long ass day.”

 

 _Wait, what?_ He’s never seen her before? That’s an odd statement considering she’s— or was— the kingdom’s princess, but she lets it slide. There’s something extremely relieving about not being recognized. “Yeah, well…” she drifts off, scuffing her shoe against the dirt, not wanting to express the things she’s gone through today. That’s too much for a first conversation. “What gives you the right to judge what I look like today? Asshole rights?”

 

The boy puts a hand to his chest, an expression of feigned shock on his face. “Asshole? It’s more out of concern than anything,” he replies, standing up from where he sits on the grass. He brushes the dirt from his black pants, baggy around his thin legs. “I see people come and go every day, and usually when someone leaves alone with a face like yours it doesn’t mean anything good.”

 

“What, do you live out here?” Trini asks, partially joking but half expecting the answer to be yes. She’s aware that there are some people who prefer to live on the outskirts of the kingdom, and some who can only _afford_ to live out here. It’s not particularly safe outside of the kingdom’s walls, leaving the people vulnerable to ravagers and thieves. For many people, despite the dangers, it is their only option. When the boy nods, it’s no surprise to her.

 

“Yes, actually,” he grins, walking over and extending a hand as an introduction. There’s a torn, black fingerless glove covering his palm. It’s surprisingly soft as Trini reaches out to take the offered hand. “My name’s Zack.”

 

She eyes him carefully, then nods. “Trini.”

Their handshake lasts only a few seconds before the sound of a cart approaching grabs Zack’s attention. He immediately releases her hand and eyes the incoming merchant cart carefully. It’s packed with different kinds of ripe fruits and plants, probably herbs, ready to be sold in the main village. The man in front with horse reins in his hands looks exceptionally exhausted, thinning dark hair hanging in front of his face. Zack gives Trini this _look_ , one that she knows can’t be good, before he steps a bit closer to the road.

 

“Excuse me, sir!” He shouts, catching the merchant by surprise. The man stops the cart, looking at the boy in confusion. Zack smiles innocently, waving dust out of his face from the horse’s abrupt stop. There’s mischief in his voice, Trini can tell; her eyebrow arches as she watches the interaction. “I believe there’s an animal in your cart.”

 

 _What in the world is he talking about?_ The merchant looks as confused as she is, scratching his head as he looks back at his cart. “You sure? I don’t see anything. Listen, I don’t have time—”

 

“It’s right there! Look,” Zack points, walking up to the cart. Trini follows his eyes, and sees nothing but a pile of apples. What is he—

 

Then Zack grabs an armful of apples and takes off.

 

“Come on, Trini!” He yells, running into the trees with a wild grin on his face. _You’ve got to be kidding._ The merchant is shouting, screaming at him to come back with an inappropriate slew of insults. Then he looks at her, furious, opening his mouth to say something and Trini realizes that at this point, she’s associated with the robbery. And, yeah, she’s not planning on getting thrown in the castle dungeon today.

 

Trini darts away, following the path that Zack took through the shrubs and trees.

 

\--

 

“Did you seriously just steal _apples_ in front of the kingdom gate?”

 

Trini finally caught up with him, meeting in front of an old house buried behind the cover of trees. She plants her hands on her knees, breathing heavily from the sprint she had to do in order to find him. Zack is just standing there, leaning against the house with an already half-eaten apple in his mouth. The wood of the house looks as if it’s falling apart, and it’s a wonder how the roof is still intact with all of the makeshift patches Zack must have put on top of it.

 

Zack shrugs, taking the apple out of his mouth, juggling the rest of them in his arms. “That’s what thieves do, right?”

 

Trini face palms. “You’re a thief? You could’ve mentioned that, you know!”

 

“Oh, sure. Hey, I’m Zack, the local thief. I bet that would’ve been a great intro,” he mumbles, taking another bite from a red apple. She rolls her eyes, but he does have a point (because starting with _‘hey, I’m the exiled ex-princess that got kicked out by her own mother’_ would’ve been very awkward). “Want one?”

 

Trini glares at him briefly, then sighs when she hears her stomach inconveniently grumble. “Fine,” she submits, and Zack tosses her one that she catches easily. There’s something that feels wrong about eating a stolen apple, but… it’s kind of exhilarating, too. Not that she’s the one that stole them, though. Just an accomplice. “...Is this your home?” She asks, eying the crumbling structure of a house.

 

Zack shrugs as he follows her gaze. “Yeah. It’s nothing great, but hey, it’s what I have,” he glances back at her, smirking at the way she’s squinting. “I’m guessing you had a nicer place?”

 

There’s a moment where she just looks at him, pausing at the question. The castle is the nicest place in this kingdom by far, she knows this, but clearly he has no clue who Trini is. (People who live on the outside must not go in very frequently, for the lack of reasons to. No money, no home within the walls. Trini had always been the one to care about these people, insisting to her parents that these people— the ones who have almost no money and nothing to their name— are just as important as the rest. Her father would usually shake his head, understanding her words but finding no worth in them. Maybe it’s the whole “wealthy” and “in power” thing that makes royalty forget about everyone else, but Trini wouldn’t let herself succumb to that.

 

Maybe she doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.)

 

“Yeah, you could say that,” Trini replies, crossing her arms. There’s an obvious backstory left unsaid, but Zack doesn’t push.

 

\--

 

They end up spending the rest of the evening together, sitting around a pit of firewood that rests behind Zack’s home. His black outfit lets him blend into the shadows dancing around them, projected by the flames. The nighttime breeze becomes chilly, so Trini drags the cloak hood over her head.

 

They spend hours slowly but surely opening up, realizing that despite their immensely different situations, they’re more alike than they’d thought. Zack was born out here and raised by his mother. His father was never in the picture, so he’d looked to his mother for everything. They had a bond tighter than a knight with his lucky sword, he explained, always by her side.

 

One day, she fell ill. Nobody really knew why.

 

“We couldn’t afford any of the good doctors in the village,” Zack said, eyes focused on the flickering light of their fire. “I convinced one of them to at least come take a look at her. There wasn’t anything he could do without a proper payment, though.”

 

Trini shook her head slowly in response, because that money— that little amount of money that was actually too much for Zack to ever afford— could have easily been spared by her family (if they knew or cared enough). Things are _difficult_ out here. Much more difficult than life in the castle ever was, even if Trini had her own fair share of problems too. It’s a harsh reality.

 

Zack’s mother passed away soon after that, and he’d been living on his own ever since. Thieving is his chosen method of surviving out here, being the most reasonable option.

 

A silence falls over them. The fire crackles at them angrily.

 

“I was thrown out by my family,” Trini exhales, pulling her cloak more protectively over her body with another blow of the wind. “They wanted me to marry all of these boys… these princes, knights, and whatever. My mother didn’t understand that I…” she swallows, fighting back the tears that are forming in her eyes. “I don’t like boys. I don’t _want_ to marry one, no matter how much my mom wants me to. She didn’t understand, so… here I am, I guess.”

 

There’s a tear that nearly falls, but she wipes it away before it can. Zack nods, bringing a fresh apple to his lips.

 

“Neither of us really belong here, do we?” He murmurs.

 

Trini thinks of the bright colors of their kingdom, the happiness people share within those stone walls. Her family, sitting at their long dining table, discussing future plans and how their days went as if Trini never existed to them. Their smiles and laughter, ignoring that there’s one dinner plate missing.

 

“No, I guess not.”

 

Both of them look up at the stars then, between the gaps of branches and leaves that block tonight’s moonlight. Constellations distant in the sky, shining as though there’s nothing wrong here on their planet. The stars are beautiful in a painful, heart wrenching way.

 

“Let’s leave.”

 

Trini immediately looks down to find Zack staring at her, a glint of seriousness in those dark eyes of his. “I mean it. Let’s leave and find somewhere else. Somewhere that gives us… I don’t know— _meaning_.”

 

For a minute, she looks at him as if he’s absolutely mad. Two strangers who only met a few hours ago with _nothing_ to their name, leaving the only place they know in search of something new.

 

Then, she realizes, that’s perfectly fine.

 

And for the first time today, Trini smiles a little.

 

“Let’s do it.”


	2. the boy in blue

“Where exactly are we _going_ right now?” Trini groans, hiking up a rocky hill behind Zack. He’s clearing it as if he has all of the stamina in the world, passing over fallen trees and boulders without breaking a sweat. Trini, on the other hand, is kind of struggling.

 

...Okay, she’s really struggling.

 

Listen, she only got out of the castle to do physical activities, like, once a year. That was usually only if her brothers dragged her outside, exploring the villages and climbing trees with their I-haven’t-gone-through-any-puberty-yet energy. If they were here right now they’d be shouting at her with their high-pitched voices about how slow she is and challenging her to catch up with them.

 

Zack doesn’t say anything about it though, just laughing when he hears her question. “I remember there being another village nearby. It’s pretty small and not very impressive, but it’s something new, right?” He launches himself over a log covered in moss and finds himself at the top of the hill. He looks out past the trees of this thick forest they’ve been walking through for the past hour, and points. “There it is!”

 

Trini barely has any time to catch up to him when he starts bolting downhill.  
  
_God damn it._

 

By the time they reach the village Zack led them to, all of its villagers are up and about. Mothers outside watching their children run down the road happily, tired men carrying around giant sacks of whatever grain they're selling; it’s a small town, but everyone is occupied. Trini looks around, waiting for Zack to suggest their next move. They’ve found somewhere new to explore and all, but… they didn’t really discuss what to do when they got here.

 

“What do we do now?” Trini questions, looking up at Zack. He’s preoccupied with staring at the merchant carts that roll past them. The village mostly stands as a path towards Trini’s kingdom; a route where merchants can safely travel to and fro without fear of ambushes. In other words, it’s a thief’s dream come true.  


Zack makes a sound, essentially meaning _I have no idea_ , with a careless shrug. She rolls her eyes, shoves past him, and advances through the village.

 

People here a quieter. They seem pretty satisfied with their lives, though, despite being a small village out in the open. The smell of fresh bread fills the street, and Trini notices the spark in Zack’s eye when he smells it too. There’s a visible sign hanging off one of the old buildings with bold letters that spell out the words ‘CRANSTON BAKERY.’ A window to the place is wide open, which Zack clearly assumes to be an open invitation. He nearly runs over to it, looking inside— and Trini can see the drool running down his chin.

 

“Should I remind you that we have no money?” She says, walking up beside him and shoving him lightly. He shakes his head, coming out of whatever food trance that was.

 

“When has that ever stopped me before?” Zack laughs, opening the door to the bakery.

 

She should’ve seen that one coming.

 

They go inside, and being inside of a bakery is nothing new to Trini, really. She’s been in every bakery of her kingdom, “borrowing” a loaf of bread every now and then when she sees them fresh out of the oven. But there’s something so... homely about this one. It’s small, yeah, but it’s nicely decorated and everything is so _organized_ and clean—

 

“Hey there! How, uh, can I help you?”

 

Trini turns when she realizes there’s a boy waiting for them in the back. A long, dark blue shirt hangs on his torso. There’s a tray of fresh bread sitting in front of him.

 

“Uh—” She starts, only to be cut off by Zack.

 

“We’re here to buy some bread,” he interjects, folding his hands neatly in front of him. If Trini didn’t know any better, she’d think he _actually_ had money.

 

The boy nods quickly, and gives them a genuine smile. Oh, no, she does not feel okay with this. “Well, I just took these out of the oven, so they’re pretty fresh. If you want something else, though—”

 

“Forget it,” Trini says abruptly, startling the boy. He looks at her, confused, while Zack looks at her as if she’d just ruined his whole plan. She only glances at him briefly, shifting nervously. “We don’t actually have…”

 

“Wait!” The boy stops her. He stares at her for a moment with wide eyes, and she panics because _what if he’s aware of their idea to steal from him? Well, Zack’s idea._ What he actually says is much worse. “You’re that princess! Yeah. Trini, right? My mother and I actually visited your family’s castle a year ago, and we—”   


“Woah, hold on. You’re a _princess_?” Zack turns to her, completely caught off guard and partially offended. She sighs and diverts her eyes elsewhere. “You didn’t mention that!”

 

Trini mumbles, “You never asked.”

 

He scoffs, raising his arms for a moment before dropping them to his sides in defeat. “...Yeah, I guess I didn’t.”

 

“My name is William,” the baker’s boy states, nodding to solidify his introduction. “Most people just call me Billy, though. You know, if I knew a princess would be stopping by today I would have prepared more bread! Depending on how much you want to buy, I may or may not have enough for you...”

 

Trini pulls Zack towards her so that she can whisper to him safely. She ignores Billy’s puzzled look.

 

“We are _not_ lying to this guy.”

 

“Seriously? Do you see how good that bread looks?”

  
Trini rolls her eyes. “That doesn’t matter! I’m not stealing from him, Zack.”

 

Zack pulls back, crossing his arms. “Fine. But _you’re_ telling him that we’re broke.”

 

With a sigh, Trini walks forward to Billy. He looks nervous, as if he’d done something wrong, and she feels guiltier than she did before. “Look, we don’t actually… _have_ any money. I was exiled by my family, so Zack and I were just in the middle of travelling elsewhere,” she explains, glancing between both boys. “So… yeah, sorry.”

 

Billy just looks at them, hands fidgeting with the hem of his long shirt. It takes him a moment of contemplating, it seems, before he finally speaks up. “I can’t— I can’t give you any bread for free,” he eyes Zack momentarily, “but I don’t think my mom would mind if a princess stayed for dinner tonight. A-And her friend, of course.”

 

The offer is completely genuine, Trini realizes, and she’s completely blown away by it. “You’re inviting us for supper?” Horses trot by outside, neighing and pulling along heavy merchant carts.

 

“You don’t have any money, right? Where else are you supposed to find food?” He asks, concern laced in the way his eyebrows furrow together.

 

Trini can’t help but let out a soft laugh.

 

\--

 

It turns out, Billy’s house is right behind the bakery. It’s simple and small, like the bakery itself, but it’s exactly what Trini would’ve expected. Of course, he lives with his mother; she’s the village baker, known for her friendliness and delicious bread. When Billy explains this to them, Trini doesn’t miss the way Zack’s eyes soften.

 

The baker is a kind, older woman with bags under her eyes. Her smile shines as radiantly as Billy’s when they walk into her home, and it’s easy to see where Billy gets his personality from.

 

“Oh my, it really is the princess!” She gasps, cleaning her hands with a small rag.

 

Zack leans against Trini after that, whispering, “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me that.”

 

Trini ignores him.

 

The meal Billy’s mother prepares for them later that evening is far better than anything servants at her castle ever made. Fresh potatoes and hot bread that Trini just _knows_ will be the greatest thing ever to grace her mouth, with chicken thighs thicker than her fist. Cooked vegetables resting on a plate, a rising trail of steam above them. Mugs filled to the brim with some kind of cider. Zack is staring at it as if he’s never been presented with such an appetizing meal, and yeah, maybe he hasn’t seen one in a long time. They’re practically speechless, mostly because they did nothing to deserve this. They were going to _steal_ from their bakery (even if they weren’t aware of it)! But Billy smiles at them as if none of this was any trouble.

 

“You kids can go ahead and eat,” his mother says, gesturing to the food laid out before them. Zack doesn’t need to be told twice, grabbing a chicken thigh and digging into it. The meat is almost entirely gone in seconds, and Billy looks at him in amazement. “I hope you don’t mind the food, it was the best I could do last minute for a princess.”

 

“I’m not—” Trini begins, shaking her head. “I’m not a princess anymore. But this is more than enough.”

 

They all sit together at the family’s small table. Zack and Trini absolutely devour the food, eating anything and everything on their plates until they can’t anymore. Billy eats slowly, complimenting his mother’s food as if it’s his first time eating it. He gets soft pats of appreciation in return. There’s hardly any talking until everyone is done eating, sitting in their seats with pleasant sighs.

 

“So where are you folks planning on going?” Billy asks, tilting his head at Trini.

 

“Good question,” Zack answers instead, sitting back and slouching against his chair. “We don’t actually know. We’re just… going.”

 

Billy frowns. “Well that doesn’t sound like a very good plan.”

 

“If you have any better ones, let us know, buddy.”

 

That forces Billy into a silence for a moment, thinking, before he perks up again. “I hear a lot of good things about a kingdom not too far away. Well, it would take a few days to get there, and that’s only if you go by horse, but it really isn’t that far.”

 

There aren’t many kingdoms in this particular part of the land, Trini knows that much; her parents take care of most business involving interkingdom relations, but she gets information every now and then. The Irgan Kingdom is mostly known for it’s abundance in silk, which her parents were very invested in. The Kingdom of Dava was near the water, so much of their trade revolved around fish. Just last week, Trini had been forced to speak to one of the princesses from their land. She smelled like a pile of rotting mackerels and seawater. Trini did her best not to gag.

 

Being the oldest child in their family, Trini had been next in line for the throne when her parents’ time ran low. A part of her always dreaded that day, whenever it would be, fearing the responsibilities that came with becoming a queen. Fortunately, it’s a burden she no longer has to deal with.

 

“It’s called the Farishta Kingdom, I think. Everyone just calls it the ‘Angel Grove.’ I don’t really know why, but it sounds like a really nice place. We get a lot of business from there,” Billy continues. His mother comes around, grabbing everyone’s emptied plates and compiling them. She doesn’t add any comments, but she nods in agreement.

 

Zack looks at Trini, shrugging. “Sounds okay to me. We don’t really have any other ideas.”

 

And it’s true, they don’t. This place, wherever it is, is the only option they’ve even considered since yesterday. “Sure, it sounds great and all, but we have no idea how to get there. And we’re still _broke_ , Zack,” Trini sighs, shaking her head. Everything sounds okay theoretically, but realistically? They won’t survive out there.

 

“I wish I could go with you guys,” Billy says, eyes looking down sadly, “but I have to stay here and help my mom. It’s pretty important, since the bakery is usually pretty busy, so—”

 

“Nonsense!” His mother chimes in, putting the pile of plates down. “William Cranston, I don’t expect you to stay in this bakery for the rest of your life. You are such a smart boy. Staying in this small village just limits your opportunities...” she says, approaching Billy and cupping his face gently. There are hints of adoration and sadness in the way she smiles at him. “Son, I love you, but I think this would be good for you.”

 

Billy looks up at her in confusion and disbelief. “But… what about the bakery?”

 

“I’ve been running this place since before you were born, Billy. I’ll be able to take care of it until I find a new helper. Now,” she takes a step back, gesturing to a silent Trini, “you have a princess sitting in _your_ house in need of help. Are you going or not?”

 

Trini almost feels the need to correct her, explain again that she isn’t a princess anymore, but Billy is already leaping from his seat in joy. He gives his mother a hug, telling her how much he loves her and— is he _crying_? Trini watches, remembering a time long ago where she’d hug her own mother that way. A time where she was just a child, happy and free of judgement from her own parents.

 

Zack must be able to read her like an open book, because he places a careful hand on her shoulder.

 

\--

 

They spend another day with Billy and his mother. Zack spends most of it complaining about his back aching, since he had to sleep on the floor. Trini was the one offered their guest bed, most likely because Billy’s mother insisted on treating her like a princess, but this was the one time she wouldn’t complain. Listening to Zack’s whining was entirely worth it.

 

That morning, upon discussing their plans and method of getting to Farishta, Billy gave them the breakdown.

 

“It would most likely take four days to get there if we have horses,” he explained, pointing to a route he’d drawn on an old map. “By foot, it would take about two weeks. The problem is that we… don’t have any horses.”

 

Again, they were at a stalemate.

 

Then Billy looked at Zack nervously. “...But there’s an old wagon we keep outside from when we used to deliver bread. That would only need one horse, and we’d get there in a week.”

 

Immediately, Zack was able to take the hint. With a wide grin, he shoved the last piece of bread in his mouth and wiped away the crumbs. “That’s easy. Give me an hour.”

 

Trini rolled her eyes, because there’s no _way_ he’d be able to steal a horse within the hour.

 

But, miraculously, she’d been wrong. Zack came back with a dark brown horse just as Billy finished doing some last minute repairs on their wagon. It was a surprise to both of them, and Zack was nothing but smug for the rest of the afternoon. The horse was perfectly healthy, strong and fast enough to pull their wagon.

 

“Where’d you find it?” Billy questioned, running his hands against the horse’s mane.

 

The only answer Zack provided was a sly, “I don’t tell my secrets.”

 

What an ass.

 

Their trio didn’t depart until the following morning at the crack of dawn. The sky was a mix of purple and orange when Trini stepped outside, and the people of the village were only beginning to leave their homes. Wind brushed the dark hair out of her face. Hanging over one shoulder was a worn out pack that Billy found somewhere in his room, suggesting that she take it. His mother had given them enough bread to last them a few days, reassuring them that they’ll “get hungry a lot out there,” so she threw them in the bag.

 

Clouds slowly roll by overhead. Zack and Billy are still inside getting ready to leave (and for Zack, that just means begrudgingly dragging himself out from under his blanket). Trini was the first to wake, plagued by bitter dreams of her family. She got out of bed to escape them, grabbing her things and heading outside to get fresh air.

 

Finding Billy was really a blessing to them, Trini thinks. Without him, they would’ve been more lost than they were the day before. They wouldn’t have a destination, and on top of that, no way to get there. But with his help— and, okay, maybe a bit of Zack’s help too— they have ambition. A target to reach.

 

And, for the first time in years, Trini has something to look forward to.

 

Billy comes out of the house a few minutes later, wiping away tears from his eyes. He has his own pack ready, hugging it against his chest. Trini doesn’t say anything, just offering a silent nod that carries the message of _hey, you’ll be okay_. It takes a bit longer for Zack to come out, but eventually he does, groaning when the sun hits face.

 

“Why are we leaving so early again?” Zack asks, slinging himself into the back of the wagon like a ragdoll.

 

“Because the sooner we leave, the faster we get there, idiot,” Trini replies, climbing onto the wagon after him. Zack just grunts in response, letting his eyelids crash shut again. Billy laughs a little at the two of them, placing his bag with them. Trini looks at him. “Are you sure you’re alright with driving the wagon?”

 

As Billy heads toward and unties the horse Zack had stolen, he hesitates momentarily. “I’m sure it isn’t too difficult,” he says, picking up the reins and leading it to the wagon. “I’ve done it once before.”

 

The answer is relatively good enough for Trini. She opts to lay back on the rough wood of the wagon, ignoring Zack’s obnoxious snores (because somehow he’s _already_ fallen back asleep). A few minutes go by before Billy figures out what he needs to do and they begin to move, heading towards the main road.   
  
When Trini stares at the sky, watching the sun rise at its own pace, she feels somewhat at peace.


	3. the girl with pink flowers in her hair

It’s been a long week.

 

Trini spends most of it with cramping legs and restraining herself from knocking out Zack. The wagon isn’t exactly the comfiest, nor is it spacious, and having to sit next to Zack the entire time is torture. (She maintains her self control for the most part. Except for the one night she shoved him off of the wagon when Billy wasn’t looking. He’d been cracking jokes all evening about her height, and she’d had enough. He was fine, but she failed to point out the twig stuck in his hair until the next day.)

 

Villages were just spots for the trio to rest and find inns to get a meal from. The first few days of their travels were spent in dangerous territory; quicker routes buried in the forest were known for bandits and ambushes on merchants. Billy made a point to cross those routes off on the map, insisting that they could just take alternate paths. “It’ll only take slightly longer,” he’d said, and they’d be able to see different villages along the way.

 

Zepha was the first village they passed through. White buildings made of stone and cobblestone paths that threatened to rattle their wagon apart. The ride was too bumpy for Zack to sleep through, so he got up and walked on his own. A few minutes went by and he was gone. A few more minutes and he was back, a bundle of cloth in his arms.

 

“What did you do?” Trini asked, at the point of exasperation.

 

“We can match now,” Zack grinned, rolling out the cloth to reveal that it was a dark brown cloak. He put it around his shoulders, tying it in front of his neck with a sloppy knot. Trini just squints at him, shaking her head.

 

“That’s my cloak, you crooked-nosed knave!” A older man’s voice shouts from down the road, jogging towards their wagon.

 

Billy turns around, confused. “What’s that guy talking about?”

 

Zack stiffens. “Don’t worry about it, Billy,” he says, shifting awkwardly. “...Can you make that horse go faster?”

 

They almost died that day.

 

Following Zepha were a few smaller villages, where villagers watched the wagon pass is if it’d been months since their last visitor. Nothing exciting ever happens, though, and Trini realizes that she hasn’t been recognized in a few days. On top of that, she doesn’t really mind. With nothing else to do, she’s spent many hours watching the sky and thinking about everything that happened. How do her two brothers feel about their mother’s decision? Is the family okay? A part of her believes that maybe she’ll never find out. Once they get to this Angel Grove place, there won’t be any turning back. They’ll start over completely, and Trini won’t be the future princess of a kingdom. She’ll just be… Trini.

 

The two boys spoke a lot during the rides. Zack would be staring off in the distance, eying the tall trees around them, but he never failed to reply to Billy’s stories. Trini didn’t speak much, throwing in her two cents occasionally when it wouldn’t be too personal. They didn’t mind, even though they asked questions sometimes.

 

They’d been riding through an obscure little village when Billy asked, “So… why did your family kick you out, Trini?”

 

She bit her lip, not exactly wanting to open up again.

 

“She was too good for that place,” Zack answers for her, grinning. Trini doesn’t saying anything, just staring at him. He fiddles around with a little knife he picked up at one of the inns. “We have to find her a cute wife in this new kingdom, Billy.”

 

“Shut up,” she says, laughing a little and shoving his shoulder. Something inside of her feels lighter, though.

 

Billy just nods in understanding.

 

And that seems to be a trend with them: they all understand each other.

 

\--

 

The kingdom is visible in the distance. They’re travelling down the bumpy road of a mountain, and above the trees is a perfect view of their destination. Tall walls built of stone and a stream surrounding the inner buildings; an enormous castle in the middle, looming over the people that live on this land. Pink banners hang on every house, emblems stitched on them to represent their loyalty. Even from afar, the three of them can tell this kingdom is different. It’s beautiful in the way breath leaves your lungs, inviting you in with open arms.

 

Billy stops the horse as they all stare.

 

Suddenly Zack is getting out of the wagon, hopping onto the ground with a cloud of dust generating at his feet. “Check this out,” he comments, walking over to a nearby tree. The object that caught his attention was a piece of paper hanging on the bark, large letters written across it. Zack brings it over, scanning the parchment with a smirk on his face. “They’re recruiting.”

 

Trini snatches the paper and reads it over. A statement regarding the kingdom’s need for a larger army, beginning some type of training for potential knights. Trini snorts in response. “Yeah, like we could be _knights_ ,” she says, handing the paper to Billy. The thought is an odd one; an ex-princess, a thief, and a baker’s boy becoming knights. _Yeah, right. That would take a miracle._

 

Billy shrugs, “I don’t think being a knight would be that bad.” He picks up the reins again and gets the horse moving. Zack continues to walk beside it. “We’re looking for something new here, right?”

 

They fall into a silence for the final stretch, approaching the angelic kingdom’s gates with high hopes. Trini wouldn’t dare to admit it, but she’s _nervous_ for a few reasons. She could be recognized. They could enter this new land and find nothing to offer, leaving them with nothing. The kingdom itself could be a complete fluke, corrupted despite its praise.

 

Guards stand in front of the gates, permitting stray villagers to enter. Billy stiffens in the front of their wagon, glancing at Zack and Trini briefly.

 

“What business do you have in our kingdom?” One of the guards asks once their wagon is close enough to the entrance. Their faces are solemn, and threatening in a way.

 

And, well… they don’t _have_ any business here.

 

“We’re, uh…” Zack stumbles with his words, hands gesturing wildly. Of course he has no idea what he’s doing. “We’re just here for—”

 

“We’re here for the recruitment,” Trini takes over, standing up so the guards will notice her presence. She holds up the parchment Zack had found before, waving it a little to get the point across. Billy nods aggressively in agreement.

 

The guards take a moment, sharing looks of confirmation before one of them walks over to a metal crank. He begins to turn it, earning loud creaks from a drawbridge being lowered to the ground. The other just points as he says, “You’ll be looking for the Knight’s Court. Go south from the main castle. You won’t miss it.” A thud shakes the wagon as the drawbridge hits land, startling some birds nearby (and Billy).

 

With that, the path is open— all that’s left is to cross the stream, and they’ve arrived at their destination.

 

“In the time of your recruitment, you will be housed in quarters provided by the king and queen, along with two meals a day,” the guard continues, and all three of their heads snap up. Zack looks as if he’s just stumbled upon a cavern of gold, and Billy is smiling so brilliantly at Trini that she can’t help but smirk herself.

 

Alright. Maybe becoming a knight doesn’t sound so bad anymore.

 

They have a newfound optimism as they enter the kingdom, Zack practically leaping across the drawbridge in a few footsteps. How does he _always_ have that energy? He’s swinging his arms dramatically as if he’s wielding a sword and shield, making false clanging noises that sound ridiculous. Billy finds amusement in it, though.

 

“I think you’ll be a great knight,” Billy comments. “You’re extremely agile, Zack. Why didn’t you consider becoming one sooner?”

 

Zack stops his movements then, looking at the expansive village before them. “I never thought about it,” is all he manages to say, busy staring at crowds of townspeople.

 

It is definitely a populated place, with villagers passing by their wagon so frequently they can hardly move forward. At some point they nearly lose Zack amongst everyone else, but he catches up to them easily. Trini hardly notices.

 

The homes and inns are built of sturdy wood and rock. Architecture here is surely much more different than it was in Trini’s kingdom. Everything is squarer, neater, and the way flowers and plants line the roads is an added beautiful touch. One of the largest buildings toward the center of their town is a bakery. It is a taller structure, but carved into the outside walls are images of bread and other goods they must take pride in. Billy’s mouth hangs open at the sight. He mumbles something about how he’d like to rebuild his mother’s bakery, too. (For some reason, it doesn’t surprise Trini that he’d be able to do that.)

 

There’s a slight incline of the ground as they approach the castle, and the trio only admires it more upon getting closer. Tall, wide structures that form grand towers catch her eyes first. Then she sees the spiked roofs and the archways. The tiny, detailed designs chiseled into the walls and the stories they tell.

 

Trini’s castle was much smaller compared to this, she can tell immediately, and something about this castle was more welcoming. Despite it being her family’s home, Trini never felt welcome in their own castle. She never belonged there.

 

“That must be the Knight’s Court,” Zack shouts to Billy, having walked a bit further ahead from the wagon. Just where the guard had said it would be, to the south of the castle: a large field surrounded by brick walls, full of men swinging swords and throwing fists. The walls are decorated with shields of different colors and patterns.

 

“Yeah. Looks like it,” Billy agrees, even though his response wasn’t entirely necessary.

 

They can only get moderately close before they’re stopped by another guard.

 

“Parties looking to join the recruitment must check in first,” the guard declares. He jabs his thumb in the direction of a shabby looking inn. “See Commander Zordon and drop off your wagon. The servants will take care of your horse.”

 

“Commander who?” Zack questions, running a few fingers through his dark hair.

 

“Commander _Zordon_ is overseeing the recruitment process,” the guard explains, beginning to glare at Zack. “He is the most respected elder knight in our kingdom. If you refuse to show him the respect he—”

 

“Yeah, we get it. We’ll go see him,” Trini cuts in, stepping out of the wagon. The guard immediately quiets and the trio does as they were told, advancing to the inn. (Trini swears she hears him mutter some insults under his breath. If she weren’t striving for a positive, fresh start here, she would’ve knocked out his front teeth.)

 

When they get there, Zack opens the door and it creaks so loudly that Trini thinks she might’ve gone deaf in one ear. The wood is old, but at least it still serves its function. There’s a front room consisting of tables, chairs, and a bar that’s been taken over by some sleep-deprived guards. They’re passed out on the counter, snoring lightly with zero notice of the visitors. It isn’t until a voice booms throughout the room that the guards jerk awake, nearly falling off of their stools.

 

“Good morning travellers,” a man says, walking down the main hall of the inn with heavy boots. They thud loudly with every step he takes. Judging by the shiny armor he wears with the bright red cloak hanging from his shoulders and the medals stuck to it, this is the commander. “May I help you?”

 

This time, Billy takes charge in speaking for the group. “We are here for the recruitment, sir,” he says with wavering confidence. Trini notices that he’s obviously straightening his posture and trying to seem… tougher? It’s kind of embarrassing, but also endearing.

 

The commander eyes Billy, and then the other two. It’s hard to miss the small frown that develops on his face. “You three want to become knights for Farishta?”

 

Zack scoffs at the skepticism in Zordon’s voice. “Yeah, we travelled a long way for this. Is there something wrong with that, _sir?_ ” He has a bit of an attitude at the end there, and Trini worries that he’s pushing it a little too much.

 

“No offense meant to any of you,” Zordon starts, looking back and forth between the three of them, “but I don’t believe you kids would last a day in my training.”

 

The words are harsher than any of them were expecting, really, and Zack gasps because he totally took offense.

 

“Why do you think that, sir? We might surprise you,” Trini speaks up from beside Billy, and Zordon acknowledges her for what seems to be the first time. He squints at her momentarily, puzzled. She half expects him to make a demeaning remark about her being a woman, but he simply shakes his head instead.

 

“If you kids truly believe you can become knights here… by all means, stay,” the commander replies, still holding eye contact with a (very) pissed off Trini who continues to stare him down as a challenge. Finally he tears his eyes away to address all three of them this time, “But if one of you dies, I am not to blame.” That is his final comment to them directly as he turns to the guards who are suddenly wide awake at the bar counter, stiff and waiting for orders. Zordon nods to them slowly. “Get these kids settled in.”

 

He walks away, and most of the tension in the room dies down.

 

“What an ass,” Zack whispers.

 

Billy nods, crinkling his nose. “We definitely need to be knights now.”

 

\--

 

The afternoon is stressful. All three of them are asked questions— so, basically, it’s an interrogation— about their lives and personal information. The guards are satisfied with Billy, because he does nothing but cooperate and tell them the truth. Zack and Trini on the other hand? The guards were lucky if they could get two words out of them. Whether or not the question was personal, they would just shrug or give vague nondescript answers. But, apparently, it was enough (either out of frustration or the guards had actually heard enough), because they were given their rooms in the inn.

 

They were assigned two rooms, one for the boys and one for Trini. Billy was excited to be rooming with someone else; it was a new experience for him, and for some _odd_ reason, he trusted Zack. Trini was grateful to be alone for the first time in over a week. Yeah, the room was kind of gross and dusty, but it could’ve been worse. The bed was clean (or at least it looked that way) and the window was covered by vines outside. She didn’t particularly mind that— it meant more privacy.

 

Once the three of them were somewhat settled in, a guard came to escort them to the Knight’s Court.

 

When they got there, a few things happened simultaneously.

 

One: three wooden swords were tossed in the direction of their trio. Zack failed to catch it in time, getting whacked in the face.

 

Two: one of the guards started laughing. He literally _snorted_ uncontrollably. Zack threatened to fight him.

 

Three: Trini _swears_ that she just saw a girl across the field, cloak flowing around her body with the wind just _watching_ them and—

 

“Hey!”

 

Trini swivels to match the gaze of a taller, bigger man with the messiest beard she’d ever seen in her life. He steps closer, arms folded across his chest. “Little women like you can’t be knights, you know,” he sneers. Of course this happens on her first day. “Men like me? We’ll just tear you apart while—”

 

She doesn’t even let him finish before punching him square in the nose. He stumbles backwards, hand shooting to his nose as blood begins to gush out. Everyone around them stops their training to stare, or even laugh (in Zack’s case). Trini smiles at him as innocently as she can, but it still comes off in a _how’s that for you_ kind of way.

 

“Someone take Charles to be bandaged up,” the guard sighs, exasperated as if this is something he deals with everyday. With a careful side eye he adds, “I’m sure Zordon must _love_ you.”

 

Trini looks down at her bloody fist, and back at the guard. “Yeah, he seemed thrilled to have me here,” she says, sarcasm laced throughout the sentence. Zack just turns to give her a high five. Some other men come over to guide a bleeding Charles away, and Trini can’t help but feel proud of herself. She can hear her mother’s voice, scolding her about how this isn’t the way a princess should act— but it doesn’t bother her. “Princess” isn’t a title that belongs to her anymore.

 

Knight Trini seems much more fitting.

 

“Now,” the guard starts, gesturing to a part of the field behind him, “you’ll be taught in the arts of sword fighting and hand to hand combat. First, you’ll be paired up. You’ll be asked to spar so that we can… properly evaluate your current skills.”

 

The three of them nod in understanding.

 

Zack and Trini are thrown together out of convenience, while Billy is paired up with a scrawny boy that looks out of place with his trembling hands. Judging by the way Billy smiles at the boy and kindly introduces himself, they’ll be perfectly fine.

 

Zack, however, is grinning at Trini like he wouldn’t dare to think of going easy on her here. As if she has something to be worried about. As if he’s going to _win_.

 

That thought alone is completely ridiculous.

 

Trini just lunges at him with wooden sword in hand, and it doesn’t take long, really, for her to get him on the ground surrendering. A few swift movements, calculated swings and one strong kick under his feet to knock him down. To Trini, it practically happens in the span of a second before Zack hits the ground with a loud thud and a groan.

 

“Okay, where did you learn that?” He questions, pushing himself off of the ground slowly. “Princess Defense Training?”

 

Trini smirks. “Yeah, it was definitely Princess Defense Training.”

 

(Yeah, fine, her parents began giving her lessons with the sword soon after she’d turned 12. It was a safety precaution, in preparation for a moment that Trini would be alone with no one else left to defend her but herself. She was a natural with the sword, eventually defeating even some of their castle’s best guards in duels. It had to be stopped, according to her mother, so her lessons ended immediately. It’s been years since Trini touched a sword, but something about being in battle again was so refreshing. Relaxing, even. Sure, she’s pretty rusty, but it’s still enough for her to kick Zack’s ass in two seconds.)

 

“Can you teach me that?” Billy asks suddenly, and Trini realizes that a handful of people are staring at her again.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Zordon with his bright red cape, watching carefully from across the field.

 

\--

 

Later that night after well-earned bruises and scrapes have stopped aching from training, the three of them decide to visit the town square. Apparently that’s where most of the kingdom goes at this hour, celebrating whatever they desire and enjoying what this land has to offer. Zack is the one that suggests going after hearing about it through some guards. The only argument he has is that they have nothing else to do, and, well, he’s not wrong. So they all agreed to go, despite the fact that they know nothing about this place.

 

When they get there, none of them regret it.

 

There are lanterns strewn about, hanging between buildings and over their heads. Pink lanterns illuminating the village, along with the lightning bugs that flutter around freely. Most of the villagers out are either drunk or trying to get drunk, holding empty mugs from a nearby inn. Billy’s eyes light up immediately. It’s more lively than his small village had ever been, and he’d lived there his entire life. The genuine happiness in people’s laughter is something Trini herself isn’t exactly used to either.

 

It only takes a few moments before Zack is excusing himself, running to grab himself a mug of what everyone else is having. There’s a fire pit near one of the buildings, surrounded by exhausted older men. They’re sharing stories of adventures and tales that could surely never be true. In this state, though, it doesn’t even matter; they’ll forget it all by morning.

 

A cold breeze flows by them, and Billy can’t fight off a shiver.

 

“This seems really great and all,” Billy says, hugging his arms around himself, “but I think I’ll just go back to the inn and get some sleep. We have another day of training tomorrow.”

 

“Are you sure?” Trini asks, putting a hand on his shoulder gently. If there’s anything she’s learned about Billy, it’s that he isn’t the greatest with social situations. If he wasn’t comfortable surrounded by crowds of strangers, she wouldn’t blame him for it.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure.” He nods, turning to walk away. Then he stops himself, hesitating when he adds, “Hey, Trini?”

 

She stares at him. “Yeah?”

 

“Keep an eye on Zack. I really don’t want him to get sick in our room.”

 

“I’ll try,” Trini snorts, giving him a thumbs up. Billy must feel pretty confident in her, because he accepts it and starts walking away. Keeping an eye on Zack shouldn’t be too difficult, really. There aren’t many people that look like Zack around here (or any of them, really. The three of them seriously stand out). The only issue is that _currently_ she has no idea where he is.

 

The first place she checks is the inn, but there’s no one in there except sweaty knights and guards chugging down ale. Everyone is loud and rowdy, cheering for even the slightest of things. Finished your mug? They cheer. Ordered another? They cheer. Fall out of your stool and pass out? They cheer, even though they’re likely next. Trini wouldn’t be caught dead in that disaster of an inn for any longer, so she leaves to search outside.

 

When she does, the air is crisp and fresh compared to the stuffy air of the inn. Still no sign of Zack, that’s for sure. Trini just shuffles through the crowd of townspeople, keeping an eye out for her friend.

 

 _Friend_. That’s a revelation she hasn’t admitted yet. The fact that these two boys— who only recently entered her life— are undoubtedly her friends. They’re the last good things left in her life at this point, even if Zack can be a pain in the ass pretty frequently. Billy has become something of a brother to her, with his innocence and undying kindness. Maybe she could pick up Billy some fresh bread in the morning and—

 

Trini is too busy thinking that when she turns a corner, she runs straight into someone. It’s just a minor collision, and all she has to do is rub her forehead a bit before the pain fades.

 

“Should have watched where I was..” Trini begins to mumble, looking up and very slowly realizing that this is a _girl_. The girl that she swore that she spotted earlier in the Knight’s Court. The same dark cloak is flowing behind her, but there’s a sheepish smile on her face that serves as a sharp contrast. “...going. Where I was going. Sorry.”

 

Yeah, there’s no doubt that this girl is gorgeous. Hair that just barely brushes her shoulders and dark brown eyes that shine with the light of lanterns. There are pink flowers threaded into her hair, standing out against the dark. She’s a bit taller than Trini, but… Trini is staring. She’s totally staring.

 

“It’s fine,” the girl says, waving off the incident. Her smile is brighter than the moon. “I should have been watching where I was going, too. We can both take the blame for it.”

 

Trini straightens her posture, folding her arms and trying her best to play it cool. “You were at the Knight’s Court earlier, weren’t you? Trying to be a knight too?”

 

That’s when the girl looks her in the eyes, head tilted just so in what can only be read as bewilderment. Seconds pass where she visibly hesitates on something, perhaps what to say, before she shakes her head. “No, no. I don’t… I’m not a knight,” she says, and the corner of her lips curl slightly. “My name is Kimberly.”

 

Kimberly. Trini repeats it under her breath carefully. Finally, she holds out a steady hand as she says, “Trini.”

 

They shake hands momentarily, and Trini nearly forgets that she was currently on a mission.

 

“Is something wrong?” Kimberly asks, because apparently Trini’s face is very easy to read.

 

 _Why does she care?_ “I’m trying to find a friend,” is all she gives for an explanation. Kimberly looks around, hair swaying so perfectly around her face that Trini understands now why this kingdom is associated with angels. There are actual angels here. This girl is an angel.

 

“The one in black?”

 

Trini raises an eyebrow. “What? Have you been spying on us?”

 

“What? No! I—” Kim sputters, realizing exactly how weird this all comes off as. “I just remember seeing you three… earlier. And I think I saw him by the well a few minutes ago.”

 

Trini stiffens. That can’t be good.

 

And it wasn’t, just as Trini assumed. Because as soon as her and Kimberly (who had completely covered herself with her cloak) ran over to the village well, Zack was soaked in water from head to toe. Yeah, he was grinning as if he’d won the lottery, and might as well have. In his hands were stacks of gold coins. Around him are cheering villagers, patting him on the back with respect.

 

Zack disappears for half an hour, dives into a well to collect currency on a drunk dare, and wins the respect of a few townspeople. Figures.

 

Trini escorts him back to their inn after that, relatively irritated but also somewhat impressed that Zack (after one mug of alcohol) could successfully descend a well and bring back money from the bottom of it. He continues to rave about it, and how everyone’s faces were so shocked when he actually did it. Then, after a few minutes of listening to his commentary, Trini glances around.

 

Kimberly had disappeared somewhere along the way, fading into the darkness with the nighttime breeze.

 

\--

 

Trini doesn’t see her again until a couple of days later.

 

They’ve been training regularly for hours a day, learning the ins and outs of being a knight. The combat part is easy; Trini takes down nearly all of her opponents without breaking a sweat, with or without swords. Some of them have refused to continue training as a result of their loss to her, and that alone has given Trini a major boost of determination. It’s the whole etiquette and mannerisms of being a knight thing that she’s hung up on. Billy is getting it just fine, and it’s obvious that Zordon favors him over everyone else. (How could he not, though?) Zack and Trini are more of the reckless type with frequent attitudes, however, that make it harder to cooperate in teams.

 

Trini is in the middle of kicking Zack’s ass again when she sees Kimberly by the entrance, watching from under the shade of her cloak. The distraction gives Zack enough leeway to land an actual hit on her, which is probably the biggest shock they’ve seen so far. It brings her back to earth, grounding her in the tough soil beneath their feet. His victory lasts for a total of three seconds before she’s retaliating and his back is hitting the grass. He lands with a low _oof_.

 

Zack opens his mouth to say something, but Trini is already excusing herself.

 

She slips past the hundred or so men training in the field, trying not to get caught in the crossfire, and avoids the eyes of Commander Zordon. (If he caught her sneaking out of training she’d never hear the end of it, and no, she’s not willing to deal with that.)

 

If Kim notices her approaching, she doesn’t act like it. Trini walks up to her, eyebrow arched in a certain cockiness that she doesn’t actually have.

 

“Still not spying on us, huh?” Trini says, startling Kimberly who suddenly turns to look at the source of the voice. When she realizes that it’s Trini, she visibly relaxes.

 

“I promise, I am not spying on you,” Kimberly sighs, but… not in a bad way. Out of relief, maybe. The hood of her cloak is pulled up, covering brown eyes from the blinding sunlight. “I just… like watching the training process.”

 

“You _like_ watching a bunch of sweaty men hit each other with wooden swords?” Trini questions, and even under the cloak she can see Kim roll her eyes.

 

Most of these guys, whether they’re tall and loud or small and angry, fit a different image of the word knight. A lot of people picture knights as these perfect, handsome men who ride horses to go sweep a princess off of her feet. These people? Not so much. They’re pretty much all works in progress here, including the trio.

 

“No!” Kim scoffs, but there’s a small smile tugging at her lips. “I just think it’s fascinating. Watching everyone learn and become better, stronger people.” She looks out at the field, at the dozens of knights-to-be running at each other. Trini follows the gaze. “Why are you here?”

 

Trini feels a heat spread from her cheeks to her ears. “Uh, I just recognized you. And I was passing by so I stopped and—”

 

“No, no,” Kim interrupts her, laughing softly. The sound is similar to what angels in heaven must sound like, Trini thinks: light and calming. Despite this, Trini is grateful that she was stopped from continuing that disaster of an excuse. “I mean why are you _here_? Becoming a knight? You do realize you’re the only woman trying, right?”

 

The question has run through her mind frequently over the past few days. Why is she doing this? She still doesn’t have an exact answer for it, though. It’s just sort of… happening. “I don’t know,” Trini shrugs, folding up the loose sleeves of her white shirt to her elbow. She vaguely notices the way it grabs Kim’s attention. “I just know that I’m doing it.”

 

Kimberly nods, not quite understanding but accepting the answer. “Well, it looks like you’re doing great,” she pauses, then adds, “I saw you fighting out there. You’re one of the best I’ve seen.” The compliment seems so out of place for Trini; she’s never been praised for fighting. Not at home, where the only thing she was encouraged to do was be kind and proper. Kim looks as if she’s going to say something else, but their conversation is cut short by that voice Trini has already begun to despise.

 

“Trini!” Zordon shouts from across the field, mouth forming a perfect straight line of disapproval. In front of him is Zack, shrugging helplessly with his wooden sword. There’s also a look in his eyes of curiosity and suggestiveness, and Trini realizes that, yes, she’s still standing next to a girl. If anyone were to be her wingman it would be Zack, but she really does _not_ need that right now.

 

“I’ll see you around?”

 

Kimberly’s voice is such a sharp contrast to Zordon’s, coming off as gentle and delicate to her ears. There’s a hopeful smile on the other girl’s face, and Trini doesn’t have the heart to say no. Not when she’s looking at her like that.

 

“Yeah, sure,” Trini nods.

 

Then she’s jogging across the field towards a stern Zordon, trying not to look back.

 

\--

 

Later that night, Zack asks her about the girl she was talking to. Trini just shrugs it off, saying that they’d met before and just happened to run into each other again. Zack definitely doesn’t buy it, judging by the raise of his eyebrows, but he asks no more questions.

 

\--

 

For the next few weeks, Trini finds herself running into Kim more and more frequently. Whether it’s because they naturally end up in the same locations or Kimberly actually seeks her out, she’s not sure. There is one thing she’s sure of, though: she’s okay with it.

 

At first, yeah, she was completely skeptical. Constantly running into this gorgeous girl around the village? It was odd, and Trini was concerned that there was a catch somewhere. Any time they spoke, whether it was at the Knight’s Court or in the town square, Trini proceeded with a _lot_ of caution. She deflected most of Kim’s questions or prompts for details, but none of that deterred the other girl. Kim always smiled at her when they crossed paths, eyes lighting up from under that cloak she’d always wear.

 

One day, Trini realizes something pretty important. That smile really makes her feel a certain way— as if there are butterflies swarming her stomach and lungs any time they make eye contact. And, quite honestly, there was nothing she could do about it.

 

She tried avoiding Kimberly for a while, but the village was only so big. Besides, Trini had to be on the field every morning before dawn, no exceptions made. So whenever Kimberly showed up, admiring the knights in training, she made sure to avoid eye contact with anyone who wasn’t her opponent. The most Trini provided was a few brief greetings in passing (followed by making a beeline for somewhere else). It was ridiculous, really. The extent she was going through in order to avoid this girl, because—

 

Well, she’s afraid.

 

The last thing she needs is to have these dumb feelings for a girl she hardly even knows, ruining this new kingdom that they’ve already started settling into.

 

She can’t ruin it.

 

It works relatively well, until a month later.

 

Trini wakes up in the middle of the night to a cold, dark room. The inn room that has become her home since they’d arrived, decorated with it’s old wooden furniture and dusty shelves. She closes her eyes again, hoping that eventually she’ll just sink into the mattress and drift off into a decent sleep. It doesn’t happen, though. Trini lays there tossing and turning for about an hour before she gives up, getting out of bed and throwing on her clothes.

 

If there was one method she had for getting rid of insomnia, it was late night walks.

 

Back when she’d still been a princess, drowning in responsibilities and expectations, she’d hardly managed to sleep at night. Even with the most luxurious bed in the kingdom, she was never comfortable. So she started sneaking out of the castle every night, walking around in quieter parts of the villages and through the trees that protected her.

 

Trini tiptoed slowly through the inn corridor, trying to avoid the squeakiest planks on the floor. The very last thing she needs right now is to be scolded by Zordon for sneaking out at this late of an hour when they have training in the morning. But she manages to make it out, slipping out through the front door.

 

The village is nearly dead silent. Lights have been blown out in homes, and the lanterns’ flames have dimmed, leaving the moon as the brightest source of lighting. Trini has no idea where she’s going, but she lets her feet move and lead her around the village, letting aimless thoughts drift throughout her mind. Her family. The training. The kingdom. Zack. Billy.

 

Kimberly.

 

It’s a subject that she finds she can’t avoid, always managing to come full circle to think of that beautiful smile and the cute way Kim laughs when Trini makes a sarcastic comment.

 

She ends up walking up a hill, watching the light clouds shift slowly in the dark sky.

 

Then she realizes, as she gets closer to the top of the hill, somebody is up there too. It doesn’t take very long for Trini to acknowledge that it’s Kimberly, either. Kim is there, seated on the grass with her knees tucked under her chin.

  
And she’s…

 

She’s not wearing her cloak. And Trini swears right there and then that Kimberly is the most beautiful girl she’s ever seen. The thought scares her, enough to make her halt in her tracks and turn to walk away, but Kimberly spots her before she can.

 

“Trini?”

 

“...Hey,” Trini says, turning back to the other girl. Kim is looking at her in surprise, because who would _ever_ expect company this late at night on the top of an obscure hill? A beat passes by where neither of them say anything. Trini finds the words escaping her lips before she can even think about it. “Can’t sleep?”

 

Kimberly looks up at the sky, at the moon, and sighs. There’s something graceful about the way she moves, and now that there isn’t a cloak covering half of her body, Trini can fully appreciate it. The moonlight is shining on Kimberly’s face so perfectly that she can physically feel the breath get caught in her lungs (and if she were to die right now, she wouldn’t mind). A few birds chirp off in the distance, bringing Trini back to reality in time to catch what Kim is saying.

 

“I had a bad dream. I usually come here to be alone,” she explains, then eyes Trini. “But I see I’ve been found.”

 

“I had no idea you were up here,” Trini says quickly, crossing her arms. “I can go.”

 

She turns to leave again, but Kim’s voice stops her. “Wait.”

 

When Trini faces her, Kim is patting a spot in the grass next to her, a silent invitation for her to stay. And yes, she really does contemplating running away just like every other time someone tries to get close to her. It is a safety mechanism she’s come to rely on, after all. But this time? Trini silently makes her way over, sitting on the ground. She doesn’t miss how Kim’s mouth curls into a smile.

 

The atmosphere is pleasantly quiet as the two girls gaze up at the sky, plagued by different thoughts. Kim playfully bumps shoulders with Trini, not tearing her eyes away from the stars as she does. “You don’t like to open up very much, do you?” Kim asks, but there’s a fondness in her tone that means no harm.

 

Trini shrugs, and it turns out to be a fitting answer. “It isn’t really my thing.”

 

Kim hums in acknowledgement.

 

“Why do you always wear that cloak in public?” Trini asks in retaliation, and for a moment she’s afraid that she’d said something wrong because Kim freezes and almost seems uncomfortable and— way to go, Trini, you’ve already done something wrong. But Kim recovers relatively quickly, facing Trini with a cocky smirk that sends a shiver down her spine.

 

“What makes you think I’ll open up after you’ve refused to?” Kim teases, brushing a few strands of hair out of her own face. Her hair is still messy, either from wind or tossing and turning with a sleepless night, but Trini might prefer it that way.

 

“Fair point,” Trini responds, laying back on the grass. From up here on this hill, you can see the sky ideally. No trees. No one to interrupt. It’s no wonder that restless Kim enjoys this spot. You can escape everyone else: the kingdom, your problems... All that’s left is the infinite amount of constellations sparkling in the sky.

When Kimberly looks up at the moon, Trini takes the opportunity to admire her instead. Her jawline that must’ve been sculpted by an artist. Her messy hair and her squared shoulders. The way her beautiful brown skin gleams under the heavens that must have sent her.

 

In that moment, Trini couldn’t decide what was more beautiful: the stars, or Kimberly.

 

\--

 

After that night, she stopped avoiding Kim. When they ran into each other outside of Trini’s training, they actually did things together. Kimberly would take her to her favorite spots, claiming it would get her “familiar” with the kingdom.

 

First it was a river not too far from the Knight’s Court.

 

“Come on!” Kimberly shouted, head emerging from the surface of the water. “The water isn’t cold, I promise.”

 

Honestly, it wasn’t the threat of cold water that was keeping Trini’s feet glued to the ground. It was the fact that Kim just took it upon herself to shed off her clothes _right there_ before jumping in. Now, sure, Trini’s seen women naked before. It’s no big deal. You get used to it when there are plenty of community baths in the kingdom where you grew up. But this? Trini wasn’t prepared for this.

 

She’s absolutely positive that her face is redder than it’s ever been in her life. Judging by the smile on Kimberly’s face, she knows it too.

 

Trini swallows, eyes darting from the girl to the water. “I—”

“Please?” Kimberly says, and Trini’s resistance is completely shattered.

 

“Fine,” she mumbles, untying the cloak around her neck and dropping it on top of a boulder. It doesn’t seem like Kimberly is paying attention, swimming around in the water and running fingers through her hair, so Trini peels off her clothes rapidly before sliding into the river.

 

It really isn’t that cold, just as Kim said— but it definitely helps cool down her flushed face. Trini stays still in the water, arms folded over her chest in embarrassment. Kimberly just looks at her, shaking her head.

 

Trini has all but two seconds to react when suddenly there’s a splash directed towards her.

 

“Are you serious?” Trini asks, rubbing water out of her eyes. Somehow, she doesn’t notice that a smile has grown from her own lips. “What are you, a child?”

 

“Just trying to get you to have fun,” Kim responds, a smirk on her face as she slowly swims in Trini’s direction. Trini realizes that she’s staring, and it _must_ be obvious, but Kim isn’t saying anything about it even as she inches closer—

 

So Trini just splashes her back.

 

They go back and forth, filling the air with their laughter (yes, Trini is actually _laughing_ and it’s so unexpected that she’s kind of scared) and soon Kim is carelessly tackling them both underwater. When they come back up for air, their faces are so close and breathing heavily and Trini becomes very aware that Kim’s hands are on her shoulders.

 

How does Kimberly even do this to her?

 

Maybe it has something to do with her wet hair and wide eyes and the way her lips are parted slightly, and god, the water droplets running down her jawline are right where she wants her own mouth to be. Time passes, and neither of them are really sure just how long; it could be seconds, or minutes, but it feels like hours. They’re so lost in it and Trini _swears_ that Kim just glanced down at her lips.

 

The moment is gone in an instant when another voice pierces through the air.

 

“Trini!” Zack shouts from somewhere nearby, and Trini jerks away immediately. “Are you out here?”

 

She ushers Kim into a spot hidden behind a rock, whispering for her to be quiet, and she turns just in time to catch Zack coming into view.

 

“Uh, yes,” Trini pants, and it is so obvious that she’s out of breath. Zack just stops and covers his eyes.

 

“Zordon said he wants to meet with us. So...” He moves the hand covering his eyes to glance at her clothes, and Trini notices one fatal mistake: Kimberly’s clothes are still out there. He surely doesn’t miss it, either, because a giant grin appears on his face as realization hits him. “I mean, take your time. I’m sure Zordon can wait.”

 

Zack winks at her, and Trini throws a rock at him.

 

The second time they were together, Kimberly dragged Trini to her favorite tavern. She’d mentioned something about it being relatively cheap, and Trini could at least appreciate that. They were running low on money, since the trio had only been given so much from Billy’s mother. According to Kim, all they were going there for was a few drinks and some dancing.

 

The place was packed and paid no attention to the two girls walking in that night, even with Kimberly’s hood blocking her face. They sat at an old table in the back, ordering mugs of— as Kim called it— their best stuff.

 

“Kim, that’s literally the most expensive drink they have.” Trini sighed, looking at the minute amount of coins in her hand. There’s no way she could afford it. Maybe back in the days as a princess, yeah, but not now. Kim just shrugs, reaching over and placing a hand on top of Trini’s.

 

“I’ll just pay for you,” she says, perfectly genuine. Trini nearly misses the words, though, instead choosing to focus on the warmth of the other girl’s hand. She just nods, and Kim retracts her arm.

 

Fast forward an hour, and a partially drunk Kimberly is dragging her onto the dance floor, ignoring the other drunk people around them. A band is playing, three aged men with overused instruments. The music is fast and fun to fit the setting, but for some reason Kimberly wraps her arms around Trini’s shoulders and sways their bodies slowly. Trini makes sure to keep her distance, even it’s just a little bit of space between them. (Any closer and there’s no doubt Kim would be able to see her heart pounding out of her chest.)

 

Now, because of her history as a princess, Trini learned how to dance a long time ago. Only the formal, slow dances that are meant for balls with royalty. There’s a familiar steady rhythm in Kim’s feet as they dance, one that reminds her of the lessons she used to take at the castle. So she follows effortlessly, trying to keep her eyes focused on the other dancers.

 

Kimberly is drunk, but she isn’t stupid. She brings a finger and turns Trini’s face towards her, a soft smile on her lips that feels like it radiates the warmth of a sun. Then her face is leaning closer to Trini’s gradually, until only an inch or two separate them again and Trini doesn’t know what to do, until—

 

Kim’s head swings down, resting on her shoulder with an almost inaudible groan.

 

“I’m about to be sick,” Kimberly mumbles into her shoulder, and Trini promptly pulls back.

 

For the following twenty minutes, Trini stood outside with a puking Kimberly, awkwardly patting her back and making sure she was okay.

 

The next day, she tells Zack about it. He insists that it was totally a date, and Trini downright refutes that idea. The evidence is there: Kim bringing her to one of her favorite places, then paying on behalf of her, and then that we-were-definitely-about-to-kiss moment. But Trini just _doesn’t_ see it, no matter what Zack tells her. Maybe it’s ignorance, or maybe she’s just afraid and refuses to bring down the carefully crafted walls she has around her. Whatever it is, Zack knows he won’t be able to get through to her, so he settles with just teasing her about it.

 

It usually gets him the advantage during training.

 

“Hey, T. Your girl is watching,” Zack whispers when they’re close, wooden swords clashing with each other. For a split second she loses concentration, eyes flickering somewhere else, and he takes that moment to knock her down. It’s so easy.

 

The victory never lasts long, because Trini usually just opts to tackle him and punch him until Zordon breaks them apart in exasperation.

 

In the distance, Kimberly is laughing.

 

\--

 

Months pass by.

 

The training is going well. Zordon explains that they’ll be given their titles soon if they keep up the good work.

 

Trini meets up with Kimberly on the hill every night when she can’t sleep.

 

\--

 

One night, Trini wakes up to the sound of something outside her window. It’s strange, mostly because the window is still covered by vines that she never bothered to take down. She grabs the wooden sword by her bedside (as if it would do anything compared to a real one or a dagger) and advances over to it. Through the window bars, she sees Kimberly, struggling to tear down vines that stand in her way.

 

“What are you doing?” Trini grumbles, still half asleep, startling Kimberly. She drops the vines, bringing a hand to her chest from the scare.

 

“I— Sorry, I was…” she tries to explain, and Trini can tell that she’s embarrassed. It’s a nice change. Usually Trini is the one who gets flustered, turning red in the face, but Kimberly seems to be experiencing it now instead. “...Can I come in?”

 

Trini nods, motioning to the door and Kim disappears. She puts her sword back in it’s place, trying to push down the anxiety growing in her stomach. _Why is Kim here? Is something wrong? Did something happen? What if—_

 

The knock on her door arrives and she opens it, letting Kimberly step in. The bedroom is nothing, really, just old with barely functioning furniture. Kim doesn’t say anything about it though, removing her cloak and putting it down on a nearby chair.

 

“Why are you here?” Trini asks, pushing some stray hairs out of her eyes and sitting down on the edge of her bed. It creaks, hurting her ears.

 

Kimberly looks nervous, hands fiddling with the hem of her large shirt. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t stay at my place tonight,” she admits. “I got into an argument with my parents. I needed to get away from them.”

 

Silence.

 

“I can just— I can just leave if you don’t want me here,” Kimberly stutters, reaching out for the cloak.

 

“No, it’s fine,” Trini says a little too quickly. Kim’s body relaxes a bit. “I understand where you’re coming from. You can stay, if you want.” With that, she pats a spot on her bed as an open invitation. Kimberly smiles and nods, beginning to take off her boots. That’s exactly when Trini’s nerves fully kick in at the realization of what she’d just offered, seeing Kim push the boots aside and walk over.

 

They’re about to share a bed. Together. The two of them.

 

They both slide under the covers awkwardly (and Trini ignores the way her heart has lodged itself in her throat). It takes a minute, but Kimberly finds a comfortable spot curled up against her, head resting in the crook of her neck. They share the warmth and peaceful silence for a long time.

 

“You said you understand,” Kim whispers finally, a finger subconsciously tracing circles along Trini’s shirt. “What do you mean by that?”

 

She’s trying to get her to open up, and for once Trini actually does it.

 

“My parents kicked me out. Well, my mother did, when she found out…” she hesitates, biting her lip momentarily. What if this changed things? What if Kimberly gets scared away? With a shaky exhale, Trini continues. “I told her that I like women. I should’ve known she’d react that way, but… I left soon after, and here I am.”

 

Kimberly’s head lifts up, and Trini is genuinely confused when she doesn’t find shock on the girl’s face. Instead she’s frowning, shaking her head lightly. “I’m sorry,” she says, biting her own lip. There’s something else on her mind, it’s obvious, but she doesn’t say anything else.

 

“It’s alright,” Trini reassures her, looking up at the wooden ceiling. “I think things are better here.”

 

The words are like lifting a weight off of her chest, relieving her of the pain she’s gone through since the day she left. Everything is getting better. She has a new family now— Zack and Billy. They’re the older brothers she never had, always looking out for each other. They make her happier than her mother ever did.

 

“I’m glad you’re here.” Kimberly whispers eventually, drawing Trini’s eyes back to her. “Everything is… easier with you around. I’m happy again.”

 

Trini just stares at her with wide eyes, unable to say anything in exchange. She can see the way Kim is struggling, scared of the words leaving her mouth, fearing something. Fearing _rejection_.

 

“I’m happy with you too,” Trini manages to breathe out, swallowing harshly to ease her dried throat. A light shines in Kim’s eyes when she speaks.

 

Then she’s leaning down, pressing her lips to Trini’s in a gentle kiss that makes both of their worlds turn into a series of fireworks. It should scare her, it really should, but Trini realizes that this is exactly what she’s been looking for. This whole time, since the day she left her parents in the past, she’s been searching for this moment. For Kim, in her arms and kissing her as if she’s the best thing ever to happen to her.

 

They stay that way for what feels like an eternity, lips pressed together and moonlight pouring in from the window.

 

\--

 

She doesn’t tell Zack.

 

He walks in on them making out a few days later, and evidently finds out.

 

\--

 

“Are you coming tomorrow?”

 

Trini is standing in the middle of her room, playing around with her sword (yes, it’s a _real_ sword now, sharp and crafted beautifully) while Kim rests on her bed, closing her eyes.

 

“Hm?” Kimberly hums, opening one eye slowly.

 

“Tomorrow,” Trini says, lowering the sword. She slides it into the sheath hanging from her hip, and wow, she’s never going to get over how awesome that looks. The leather of it matches her brown pants, contrasting with her favorite white shirt. “We’re finally becoming knights. All of the hard work paid off, I guess. The ceremony is in the castle.”

 

Kimberly takes a bit too long to answer, but Trini brushes it off as her being tired. “I… I can’t. My parents are taking me somewhere, I think,” she says, closing her eye again, missing the way Trini pouts at her in response.

 

“Seriously? You’ve seen us train since day one and you won’t be at the ceremony?” Trini makes her way over and sits on the bed, sweeping her hair over to one shoulder.

 

“I wish I could go,” Kimberly says, reluctantly opening her eyes and sitting up. A smile forms before she leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to Trini’s cheek. “I’m sure you’ll look gorgeous all dressed up.”

 

Trini stares at her, eyes squinting just a little.

 

“You _do_ know that you have to dress up for it, right?” Kim asks, laughing a little when Trini just looks more confused. Clearly, she didn’t. Zordon undoubtedly must have mentioned it during their training sessions, but with the amount of times Trini and Zack zoned him out, it isn’t a surprise that she’d miss it. Kim is threading her fingers through Trini’s hair subconsciously as she laughs more, “I can probably find you something last minute.”

 

“That would be good. Yeah.”

 

Later that night, after some serious searching by Kimberly, she returned to Trini’s room with a handful of options.

 

Three of them were dresses, only earning some frowns from Trini in response. Wearing a dress to a knighting ceremony would just be _strange—_  everyone already looks down on her for being a woman. Showing up in a dress would be overkill. So Kim pulls out new shirts that look way too expensive, made of the softest material in the kingdom and details stitched in that must have taken hours. Trini is immediately drawn to a black shirt with golden stitching; a sun is stitched on the sleeves, and something about it feels like home.

 

Kimberly makes her try it on, and they’re both satisfied with how it looks.

 

“This one does look amazing on you,” Kim says, staring at her shamelessly. Trini rolls her eyes.

 

“Shut up. Where did you get this? Did you _buy_ this?” Trini questions, running a hand along the fabric of her sleeve. This shirt must have cost a fortune judging by it’s quality. There’s no way someone could just… afford to buy this out of the clear blue sky.

 

“I have my sources,” Kim winks, taking a long step to close the distance between them. “Now let’s get this off of you.”

 

\--

 

They’re all lined up, kneeling on the cold stone floor in the presence of the kingdom’s king. Trini had never seen him before this moment, mostly because she didn’t care to, but he wasn’t what she expected. She expected some big, tall, muscular man with a long beard and messy hair. You know, what you usually expect from kings. This man, though… He’s not that tall, really, maybe Zack’s height, and everything about him screams _neat_. He’s clean and from the way he smiles at them, seems like a genuinely nice guy. (It could probably explain why this kingdom is in such great condition.)

 

There’s also something familiar about him, but Trini can’t place it.

 

“It is an honor to have seen you all progress under Commander Zordon’s guidance. I have no doubt that all of you will be great and loyal knights to the Farishta Kingdom,” the king speaks, his voice loud and booming throughout the hall they’re in. Zack just looks at her from his spot beside her, grinning. Him and Billy have been excited all morning for this, expressing how proud they are of each other for making it this far. Trini just smiles back at him. The metal shoulder plates are digging into her skin, and she can’t be bothered to actually pay attention to most of the speech.

 

“My wife and I,” the king says, gesturing to a beautiful woman beside him. She has long, dark hair that travels down her back and smiles so widely that Trini is worried her face might break. “We are happy to welcome you all to our kingdom, and we trust you to protect our people with your lives.”

 

Trini is already starting to doze off a little bit, waiting for this entire ceremony to be over. How long does it take to just put a sword on people’s shoulders?

 

“I apologize that the princess couldn’t be here today,” the king sighs with a light chuckle. “Kimberly seems to have gotten sick. But she is very proud of you all.”

 

And those words, those very words at the end, are enough to grab Trini by the throat and threaten to suffocate her.

 

_There’s no way._

 

Zack and Billy both turn to stare at her abruptly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, confirming that they _did_ hear that right.

 

Everything makes sense all of a sudden.

 

The cloak whenever they go out in public. The fact that somehow Kim _always_ has the money to treat her to dinner or some drinks at the tavern. The shirt that Trini is wearing right now. The reason Kim has _never_ gone into detail about her family. It explains why she isn’t here today. It all makes sense.

 

Kimberly is the princess.

 

For the rest of the ceremony, Trini keeps her eyes glued to the floor. Even when the king comes around to her, placing the sword on her left shoulder, the symbol of her hard work finally bringing success and acknowledgement, she hardly registers it.

 

Instead, she’s fighting back the bubble of anger and betrayal growing deep in her stomach.

 

\--

 

Trini finds her on their favorite hill that night, sitting under the moon with the hint of a smile on her face. Trini can’t even bring herself to look at her directly, staring at the grass as she approaches.

 

“Hey, Trin!” Kimberly beams, turning when she hears the footsteps. Her voice is so _happy_ , as if nothing could be wrong, there’s nothing to hide, and god, Trini really wished that were the case. “How was the knighting ceremony?”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me, Kim?”

 

She looks up, only to find that Kimberly is frozen in place. “What?”

 

“You’re the _princess_! And you didn’t tell me,” Trini shouts, finding her voice escape at a louder volume than she’d anticipated. That’s when she realizes that she’s shaking; her palms are trembling at her sides, curling into tight fists. “Instead I had to find out from your father during the stupid ceremony! I just— Why wouldn’t you tell me something like that?”

 

A tear rolls down Trini’s cheek.

 

She’s crying.

 

“Trini…” Kim starts, and this time her voice is shaky. Trini can hear her stand up from her spot in the grass, but she doesn’t get any closer. “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

 

“When were you going to tell me, Kim?” Trini cries, shutting her eyes to avoid looking at her. One look and Trini _knows_ that she’ll completely break apart, crumbling in Kimberly’s hands. There’s pain in her words when she adds, “After I fell in love with you?”

 

“I didn’t want to scare you away, Trini,” Kim whispers, a hand clutching at her own shirt. They’re both crying now, chests heaving and tears running down their faces. The sound of Kim’s sobbing is enough to shatter Trini’s heart to pieces. “I didn’t want to ruin what we had! I knew that if I told you, you wouldn’t have… you wouldn’t have stayed.”

 

“Maybe I _would_ have, Kim!” Trini yells, wiping away the tears collecting in her eyes. Kim just looks at her, mouth hanging open, unaware of what to say. “...I would have stayed. But— But you kept this from me! And I…”

 

Silence. There are too many words, too many thoughts, too many _feelings_ for Trini to get out right now. Kimberly looks absolutely crushed, breathing heavily and too shocked to find the best words to say.

 

Then Trini is turning on her heels, using a sleeve to wipe away the wetness on her cheeks, and walking away.

 

“Goodbye, Kim.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first three chapters are done! A lot of you guys really wanted to read a story like this, so I spent a long time working on it. There are two more chapters left for this story, and I'll do my best to get one out per week.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this! I've been putting a lot of work into this. Feedback is always appreciated. Go ahead and yell at me on tumblr @ cabooseachievables. Thanks for reading!


	4. a knight in red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you guys thought I was never gonna finish this! Well, here it is, I was just slow as fuck with it. So my bad.  
> This was supposed to be for Trimberly Week Day #6 but it's late. Yikes.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy anyway :')

“Let me get this straight,” Zack says, twirling around his sword as if it weighs no more than a feather. They’re in the woods, surrounded by trees and bushes and the sound of animals going about their day. Billy is resting against a tree trunk, eyes shut in what they can only assume is a much needed nap. “You just left her there after finding out she was the princess?”

 

Trini says nothing in response, occupying herself with picking at the blades of grass under her palm.

 

“Does she know that  _ you’re _ a princess?” Zack asks, staring at her.

 

“I  _ was _ a princess. I’m not anymore,” Trini reminds him, squinting when the sun coming through the leaves above them shines on her face . With a horrific taste in her mouth, she adds, “And I want to keep it that way.”

 

He just shrugs in response, not wanting to push the subject anymore. While it appeared Trini was coping well on the surface, Zack could realize two things. One, there was a storm brewing behind that facade and two, if he wasn’t careful, that storm could very well be taken out on him. “I’m just saying,” he mumbles after a moment, sorting through his words carefully, “I wouldn’t let things go that easily.”

 

Maybe Zack had a point, whether he outright said it or not. Trini shouldn’t have left Kim there a few nights ago, giving her no chance to explain herself or talk things out. But that was the only way Trini knew how to deal with major conflict, by running away. It was how she left her family behind, regardless of whether or not she had a choice. It was how she dealt with everything that went wrong in her life and, well  that was a long list.

 

Before she could contemplate her troubles any longer, there’s a rustling in the bushes nearby. Footsteps, stepping on twigs that give away a person’s presence. It grabs Zack’s attention as well as Trini’s, but Billy continues to rest peacefully under his shade. The two of them make eye contact, a silent understanding that until they figure out who or what is coming, they’re going to be considered a threat.

 

Trini stands, unsheathing her sword and immediately getting into a defensive stance. The footsteps are getting closer, louder, approaching to the point where the source should be, right behind that tree…

 

“Woah!” A voice shouts, and the person in question jumps into view with their hands raised. There’s a dark green hood hanging over their face and a sword strapped to their back, but they don’t reach for it. Instead their hands remain in front, palms open to show no ill-intentions. “I didn’t know anyone was out here, sorry I scared you two.”

 

While the person spoke kindly enough, Trini kept her sword raised. The last thing they needed was to let their guard down and get ambushed by a bunch of thieves on the outskirts of the kingdom. (She worked  _ way _ too hard for this sword, and she wasn’t planning on losing it — or her life for that matter — any time soon.)

 

“Who are you?” Trini asks, but it comes out as more of a demand. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Zack lowering his sword. Of course he’d be so quick to trust a stranger. He did it with her, after all.

 

“Tommy Oliver,” they respond quickly, shoulders slightly less tense than they were before. The hood stays on, but there’s a smile on their face that can be seen. Other than the cloak, they’re wearing a long green shirt and a silver chestplate with a dragon carved into it. “I’m here for the tournament.”

 

With that, Zack glances over at Trini, confused. She shrugs in return.

 

“What tournament?” Zack questions, squinting at the stranger while blatantly looking them up and down. If it made Tommy uncomfortable, they showed no signs of it.

 

“The knight’s tournament. I heard of it a few days ago and travelled all the way here,” they explain, hands now freely gesturing along with their words. There’s no hostility from Tommy as far as Trini can tell, and she slowly lowers her weapon as she listens. “I ran into a few people on the way here who were also interested. What about you two?”

 

“Uh, I didn’t hear anything about this tournament,” Zack says, shaking his head. He turns to Trini, who only appears just as lost as he is. “Zordon would have told us about that, right?”

 

Zordon is somewhat of a wild card and he has been since their first day of training. One minute he has that fatherly aura about him and he’ll be asking how you’re holding up against the new training exercises. Then in an instant he’s stone cold, making you work for hours despite everyone’s complaints. But there was never a moment where they hadn’t trusted him. If he had voluntarily chosen to keep this information from them, that meant-- well, it meant that there was something to hide.

 

“The tournament is set for three days from now,” Tommy says, taking a step back to make their leave. There’s a grin that grows on their face as they do, but something about it is off-putting. Trini frowns. “Trust me, the prize is worth fighting for.”

 

They disappear as quickly as they’d arrived, leaving the two knights in a state of confusion. Only then does Billy begin to stir behind them with groans of discomfort, probably from his awkward position against the tree. His eyes flutter open as they turn to face him.

 

“Who was that?” He asks, looking into the distance at a figure who becomes smaller with every step.

 

“I don’t know,” Trini replies, and she grabs her cloak to throw it on and tie the strings around her neck. “But we need to find out what’s going on.”

 

Zack nods in agreement and offers his hand to Billy, helping him stand. They gather the few things they brought out to the woods with them (water canteens, a rag that Zack uses to clean his sword, and Billy’s favorite blanket). Billy doesn’t comment on the glances the other two share every so often, but there is no doubt that he understands.

 

They have something important to look into.

  
  


**

  
  


By the time they get to the training grounds, the sun is already well up in the sky and beating down on them. Zordon is shouting at a boy about his fighting stance, instructing him to fix his posture and position his feet differently. Other knights are trickling in and out, covered in sweat regardless of whether they were training or not.

 

When Zordon notices the trio approaching, he tells the boy to “keep practicing” and motions for him to continue. He meets them halfway and stops, showing a frown that only increases the amount of wrinkles on his face. “You three do not have training today,” he says, arms folded over his chest. “Why are you here?”

 

“We wanted to know about the tournament,” Zack says quickly. Judging by the lack of surprise or confusion on the commander’s face, Tommy Oliver had been telling the truth about there being one.

 

“The one coming up, I assume. What do you want me to tell you?” He asks. There’s a moment of hesitation between both Zack and Trini, processing the fact that the tournament is an actual event that is happening. She opens her mouth to say something, but Zack beats her to it.

 

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

 

“I assumed you would have known about it,” Zordon replies, and briefly spares a look in Trini’s direction. There are implications that come with it — that Trini should have been the one to know about it. Because this is a tournament run by the kingdom, by the royalty in charge. He’s assuming that Kim would have told her and something about that assumption stings. His eyes turn back to Zack, who appears deep in thought. “There are flyers all over the town square. If you wish to know more, go find one. I have things to do.”

 

He leaves them where they stand and Trini awkwardly hugs her cloak closer to her body. The heat doesn’t bother her, at least not as much as it should. Billy whispers something to Zack, most likely a question about what they’ve been discussing.

 

Trini starts walking before Zack can begin to explain, heading in the direction of the main village. The boys follow, curious enough to desire answers. She tries to keep Kimberly off of her mind as they move but unsurprisingly fails. There are thoughts of nights they spent together, and questions of what Kim could be doing right now; the harsh memory of Kim crying as Trini walked away, leaving her behind. She hasn’t visited any of their training sessions since.

 

Tommy Oliver was right, though, because the town is busier than usual. Unfamiliar faces rushing past them and socializing near the taverns and merchant carts. Some of them are dressed in armor, metallic and shining under the radiant sun. Others were just carrying their swords and hopeful smiles around as they chatted. It’s easy to tell who is and isn’t from this kingdom; they stand out, usually dressed differently or behaving in a way that the villagers would not. There are different colors and symbols on their clothing and shields, representing kingdoms that Trini probably hasn’t even heard of. They’re everywhere.

 

A scrawny man stands in the middle of the town square, voice raised in an attempt to shout over the crowds. Not many people are paying him much attention, but Trini stops to listen. She hears Zack call her name from somewhere else and chooses to ignore it.

 

“Registration for the tournament is at Goldar’s Inn! Three days remain!” The man shouts, struggling to hold his large wooden sign that reads  _ Knight’s Tournament _ . Zack calls her name again, louder this time. “The best contender wins the princess’ hand in marriage! Sign up now, and...”

 

Wait, what?

 

The rest of the words go unheard, because Trini is too busy running the words through her head over and over again.  _ The best contender wins the princess’ hand in marriage _ . That means… Kim? There’s no way this could be true. There’s no way that Kim is at stake here, that all of these knights are here to compete for her _ , _ and —

 

“Trini!” Zack says, suddenly right beside her, his hand planted on her shoulder. In his other hand is one of the tournament flyers. “You need to see this.”

 

She lets Zack pull her aside in her stunned state, where they aren’t in the way of passing villagers. Billy is waiting for them, nervously fidgeting as if he’s learned a secret. A second barely passes before Zack is shoving the flyer in her face, and she has to take a deep breath. The words on the paper are large and bold, a list of details written in careful penmanship.

 

“The king and queen are looking for someone to marry Kim,” Billy says, nervous as he waits for Trini’s reaction to the news. When she remains quiet, eyes studying the parchment, he continues. “That’s — That’s why everyone is here.”

 

“We can’t just let this happen,” Zack says a little too loudly, taking the paper back.

 

Trini shakes her head. What are they supposed to do? Walk into the castle and demand that they call off the tournament, all because the two of them had some kind of relationship going before Trini walked away?

 

“There’s nothing we can do about this, Zack.” Trini sighs, and the words are more painful than she’d expected them to be. There’s a weight on her chest that feels like it’s suffocating her, making her head spin and her stomach nauseous. She can’t deal with this, not right now. “I’m going back to the inn.”

 

The boys don’t say anything, allowing her to brush past them and leave to be on her own.

  
  


**

  
  


Their inn is quiet, since most of the residents are out in the main village to talk to new travellers and visiting knights. Trini’s boots sound louder than usual against the wood beneath her feet; everything is so still, and it makes her feel uncomfortable. Alone.

 

She opens the door to her room and pauses upon noticing an envelope.

 

The envelope is a faded brown, resting on the floor as if someone had slid it under her door. If the pink symbol on it is anything to go by, it’s from the castle and most likely Kim. For a moment Trini considers not opening it. To leave it on the floor and throw it out later in the night, never seeking out the contents. But Trini knows that this is important, and if she does that it would haunt her for a very long time.

 

So she picks it up, ripping open the envelope and pulling out a folded piece of parchment. Immediately, it is easy to tell that the handwriting is Kim’s. The letters are smooth and eloquent, yet the words themselves are hesitant and uncertain.

 

_ Trini, _

 

_ I’m sorry. I should have told you everything from the very start. I should have been honest with you and trusted you. I’ll never be able to tell you this enough, but I am sorry. _

 

_ By now, you’ve probably already heard the news. My parents think that this is best for me. Marrying some random man who can prove himself in battle or something. Apparently the princess doesn’t actually get in a say in the decision, though. I’ve tried talking them out of this for a long time and they refuse to listen. I tried telling them that there was no need to find someone else, and that I was already happy. God, if only they knew why. _

 

_ You make me happy in a way that no one ever has before. I feel like a completely different person when I’m with you, Trini. When I’m with you I forget about everything, I forget about being a princess, and I forget about my parents. Staying up with you every night to talk or watch the stars-- those were the best moments of my life. Nothing can change that. _

 

_ I understand if what we had is over. In fact, I don’t even know how we could get out of a situation like this. The tournament is in three days, and suddenly I’ll be engaged to some knight from a far off kingdom that I don’t even care about. I get it if you hate me and if you do you can act as if this letter never existed. But I never wanted to lose you, especially not like this. _

 

_ I love you Trini, and I never got to tell you that in person. _

 

_ This isn’t something that I want to let go so easily. If you feel the same way, I have one last thing to ask of you: enter the tournament. It sounds ridiculous, I know. Hell, you could die if something goes horribly wrong. But I’ve seen you fight over the past few months, and I trust you. It might be the worst idea I’ve ever had, and you might not even want to do this. _

 

_ If you don’t show up to the tournament, I’ll just assume that this is permanently over. We’ll never speak again, and you can move on from this. _

 

_ I’m sorry for everything, Trini. Whatever you decide to do, I hope you’ll be happy. _

 

_ Kim _

 

There are small stains scattered throughout the end of the letter, and Trini’s heart breaks when she figures they must have been teardrops. That’s when Trini realizes that there are tears running down her own face, too, cascading down her cheeks and landing on the paper. With the sleeve of her shirt, Trini wipes the tears away and takes in shaky breaths.

 

_ Enter the tournament. _ It sounds absurd, especially considering that it’s Kim’s idea. Trini has only been a knight for a short amount of time! Some of these knights that are interested in fighting probably have ten times her experience; they have actual armor and skills from years of training. How would she be able to compete against that?

 

The answer is simple: she wouldn’t, and she won’t.

 

She walks over to the desk in the corner of her room and folds the letter again, leaving it on the surface. The sooner she forgets about its existence, the better. There are voices in the hallway outside, cheerful and hearty in a way that makes Trini jealous. They didn’t have to deal with the pressure of falling for a princess and the princess falling too. They didn’t have to live with the fact that it could never work, no matter what they did.

 

Despite the tears building in her eyes again, Trini unties her cloak and tosses it aside (and ignores how it lands on top of the letter, obscuring it from her view). Soon she’s sliding into bed, burying her face into the material of her pillow and sobbing until she falls asleep.

  
  


**

  
  


Dinner is almost painful. The Knight’s Dining Hall is full of the usual men who have been training as long as Trini, so it’s nothing new. What  _ is _ new is the fact that everyone is talking about the tournament in two days. A few men are boasting about how they’ve been preparing for it, training all day and night in order to win the princess.

 

The worst part of it all is how they talk about her — as if she’s some kind of prize to be won. Sure, maybe that’s how it seems, but Kimberly is a human being. She’s an amazing person as well as a princess, with a good heart. She loves stargazing and laughing at Trini’s jokes, and…

 

“You really think  _ you _ are going to be the one who wins?” A red-haired, bearded man laughs, jabbing a finger into another man’s chest. Others around his table laugh heartily and raise their mugs full of ale. Trini only focuses on her own plate, picking at the poorly cooked meat and not actually eating it.

 

“I hear Sir Jason is riding in from the north,” another man pipes in, which instantly shuts everyone up. In the brief moment of silence, Trini actually begins to pay attention. The name sounds vaguely familiar, like someone her parents would have mentioned a long time ago. Maybe one of the boys that her mother wanted to set her up with. Either way, the manner of which these men reacted to his name doesn’t seem like a good sign.

 

“Well,” the red-haired man sighs. “Suppose this is one of my last dinners. Cheers.” He clinks his mug with someone else’s and downs the rest of his drink. An awkward silence hangs over the entire dining hall now, minus the occasional clink of dishes knocking together.

 

Zack and Billy are whispering to each other, Trini now notices, but doesn’t bother to lean in and find out what they’re discussing. They’ve been doing this since discovering the flyers in town. Whatever it is they’re plotting, Trini wants no part in it.

 

“You have to enter the tournament.” Billy speaks finally, a little too loudly, and nods as Zack shushes him. In a lower volume, he repeats, “You have to enter the tournament.”

 

Trini puts the remains of her meat back onto the plate. “No.”

 

“Trini, you have to,” Zack insists, frowning. “You can’t just let Kimberly go like that and I know you know it too. We’ve seen you fight and you can take on men twice your size and still win! You could pull this off.”

 

“What about this ‘Sir Jason’ that everyone is so afraid of?” Trini asks. Her tone is nothing short of exasperated and agitated. This time, she actually looks up to make eye contact with the two boys. Their expressions are nothing short of hopeful.

 

“Well, he… I heard a lot of things about him through stories back in my village,” Billy says, nervous to continue. He takes a moment to consider his words and what information to relay. “They say he’s a very skilled knight, even though he’s so young. He must be around our age, I think. Anyway, no one has ever beaten him in battle. In fact, no one has even had their sword touch his armor before, so — ”

 

Zack shoots him a look, one that implies that he should stop talking now, so he does. None of that was very reassuring for a conversation that’s supposed to be getting Trini to  _ join _ the tournament.

 

“Look, this guy might be as great as they say he is, and this is a crazy idea,” Zack says, before placing a hand on Trini’s shoulder. “But you’re crazy and so am I. So enter that tournament, Trini.”

 

Trini looks at him, really looks at him, for a long moment. This is one of the first times she’s ever seen him so serious (aside from the time he shared stories about his mother). Then Kimberly’s letter comes to mind, her words that were written carefully on expensive parchment; the letter that asked Trini to enter the tournament and fight for her love.

 

Because somehow, the princess really does love her.

 

“Trini?” Zack whispers, shaking her a little to snap back into reality. She didn’t realize how lost in thought she’d gotten, or how hard her heart is pounding.

 

The princess loves her — Kimberly, the girl Trini knew she was falling for long before it was revealed that Kim was a princess. But this tournament could be the end her life if she isn’t careful, and if she fails she loses Kim forever. On top of that, she disappoints herself, Zack, Billy, and Kimberly. There is so, so much riding on this one decision.

 

It’s too much.

 

Without a word, Trini stands up from their table and leaves the dining hall. None of the other knights pay her any mind, because somehow she’s managed to blend in despite being the only woman. Blending into the background takes a lot of work, really.

 

Her feet lead her to the Knight’s Court, which is currently a vacant field full of only training dummies on wooden posts. Trini stops in front of one, staring at the poorly stitched cloth holding the dummy together. The object itself has never done anything wrong to her, but with all of the boiling rage and flood of emotions threatening to suffocate her, Trini has never despised it any more. Her hands tremble as they reach down to unsheathe the never bloodied sword hanging from her hip. This sword has never seen a moment of battle--  _ real _ battle; war or defense against a rebellion. The only thing Trini’s blade has seen is the entrails of training dummies. Like this one.

 

She swings her sword at the dummy with a great deal of aggression, slicing through the material and hitting the post beneath. The swing is refreshing, being able to not hold back. There isn’t another knight-in-training at the other end with a life to live or a kingdom to protect. So she swings again, and again, and again, shouting and grunting with every blow. A bead of sweat runs down her forehead unnoticed, because all Trini can focus on is slashing her sword, hacking away at this training dummy to relieve all of this damn stress and… all of this  _ anger _ .

 

Slash.  _ Thwack _ . There are two days left until the tournament; two days until Trini either keeps or loses the girl she loves. Slash.  _ Thwack.  _ Someone else could very well take Kimberly’s hand at the end of the day. Slash.  _ Thwack. _ That knight, Sir Jason, could take Kim and possibly Trini’s life if she isn’t careful. At this point, Trini isn’t sure which one would be more painful.

 

“You must be angry.”

 

Trini hadn’t realized how loud she was being until her mouth shuts and her throat aches from shouting with every swing. The sound of a familiar voice startles her enough to whip her around and face the only other person now on this field. Commander Zordon stands alone, red cape hanging around his armor clad body. How long had he been there?

 

“I assume it is because of the tournament,” Zordon says and takes a step forward. His face remains apathetic, mouth in a straight line. Trini just stares at him, breathing heavily, under the moonlight. The two of them watch each other in silence for a long moment, and perhaps Zordon is waiting for her to speak but Trini has always been stubborn. Eventually his eyes shift to the training dummy that has been hacked to pieces and sighs.

 

The last thing she expected was for him to unsheathe his own sword, holding it in a defensive stance, yet he does just that. _Is he_ _—_ _no, why would he be challenging_ _me_? Trini thinks. She eyes him up and down and he doesn’t falter, only meeting her eyes and holding his chin up. A challenge.

 

If you were to ask Trini what she was thinking in that moment, she’d say that she wasn’t. No one in their right mind would duel their Commander in an empty field at night, even if he was the one to initiate it. Not only would you stand no chance at winning, but it’s all about  _ respecting _ those in charge, not fighting them. 

 

Trini doesn’t hesitate though, only holds her sword high and adjusts her feet. Then she’s charging towards Zordon, swinging her sword with all her might. Their swords clash with a sharp clang that could be heard around the world. He moves next, shoving her sword aside and going for a lower attack that Trini narrowly dodges.

 

They continue like this for some time. One of them strikes first only to be countered or dodged, while Trini growls in frustration at her failed attempts to land a direct hit. Commander Zordon tries to swing his sword down from above, only for Trini to catch it with her own blade. They’re face to face, covered by sheens of sweat.

 

“You should have known,” Zordon says solemnly, adding more strength that makes Trini stagger back for a split second. Their eyes stay locked onto each other’s. “You should have known that loving a princess wouldn’t be easy.”

 

She feels her heart stop momentarily-- because how did he know? Does anyone else know? And then the anger floods back, back into her heart and taking over her better judgement. With a shout, Trini pulls back and swings at Zordon again, harder this time. They’re fighting with  _ swords _ and one accurate blow could truly kill him, but it doesn’t matter. She continues striking, clashing with Zordon’s sword repeatedly and forcing him to take a step back every time. There’s only one thing on her mind: the princess. It feels like her lungs are on fire, burning furiously with every breath Trini takes. Her arms are aching.

 

Commander Zordon smiles.

 

It isn’t really a smile, not fully, but it’s enough to stop Trini mid-swing. She stops fighting, stops right there in the middle of the field and stares at him.

 

“Your greatest weakness is your emotions,” he says. Zordon puts away his weapon and moves closer to Trini, surprising her by placing a heavy hand on her shoulder.  “But if you use them correctly, they can be your greatest strength.”

 

The sword drops from Trini’s hand and hits the grass with a quiet  _ thump _ . She says nothing even now and Zordon shares no more words either. Instead he walks away in the direction of their inn, armor clinking with every step.

 

He leaves her there, alone, in the middle of Knight’s Court under the moon as tears start to fall down her cheeks.

  
  


**

  
  


It was well past midnight by the time Trini returned to the inn, only to find silence as the other knights slept. She dragged herself right to Zack’s door despite her aching muscles and knocked repeatedly until he finally opened it. The door opened with a loud creak that made them both wince. Zack looked downright exhausted, but Trini needed to speak to him before she changed her mind. He’d stared at her, confused, and opened his mouth to ask why exactly she was at his door in the middle of the night.

 

“I’ll do it,” Trini said, stopping him before he could begin. She swallowed nervously. “I’ll enter the tournament.”

 

The look on his face went from half-asleep to elated in a matter of seconds. He picked her up in a tight hug and quiet cheers, then promised that they could discuss “strategies” in the morning. Trini agreed and after Zack shut his door to go back to sleep, she carried her tired body to her own room.

 

It was cold and hardly welcoming without a smiling Kimberly there waiting, but it was the closest thing to home that Trini had. Quickly, Trini had stripped out of her clothes and barely slid into bed before knocking out cold.

 

In the morning, Billy is the one to show up at her door.

 

Polite tapping at her door is the only indication of that, because if it were Zack he’d be banging on it to make sure Trini actually wakes up. Luckily she’d been awake already for some time by the time Billy arrives, so Trini slips out of bed and opens the door.

 

“Good morning Trini,” Billy says, smiling as soon as he sees her. She smiles back, a tired and almost pathetic smile that accurately represents how exhausted she feels. “Zack wants us to meet him outside of Goldar’s Inn. We’re going to help get you registered for the tournament!”

 

Right. The tournament.

 

She’d almost forgotten about last night due to the haze of just waking up, but the soreness that plagues her body is a blatant reminder. It’s a good thing Trini told Zack about her agreement to participate in the tournament yesterday, because she’s already having second thoughts.

 

“I’ll get ready. Wait out here,” Trini says. Billy nods and gives her a thumbs up.

 

If they’re going to be getting her registered for a tournament, Trini has to look the part. Of course,  _ looking the part _ would imply wearing a suit of armor, but she doesn’t exactly have access to that yet. The only thing she has is her chestplate made of animal hide and thin metal, which would stand no chance against a sharpened blade. It would have to do, though.

 

A villager’s chestpiece, her usual brown cloak, and a sword. Surely that’s all one needs in order to fight in a tournament, right?

 

(Trini already knows the answer to that.)

 

Once she’s ready, Trini and Billy head to the main village on foot. As knights, they have access to request horses for any purpose, but walking gives Trini time to think. Walking also gives Billy time to talk to her and share stories or fascinating tales he’s heard from other villagers. New word has come in of Sir Jason, saying that he’s finally arrived and will be staying to participate in the tournament just as everyone believed. He’s all the villagers have been talking about this morning.

 

Goldar’s Inn comes into view as they walk down the main road; the building is larger than most, built of stone and casting a shadow onto the street. A painting of a golden monkey with red eyes decorates the front, and Trini would be lying if she said it didn’t make her feel uneasy. There are crowds of people outside conversing and passing by, but not a single one of them is Zack.

 

“Where is he?” Trini asks, stopping to get a good look around the area. Zack is usually an easy person to spot because of his loud mouth, but there are no signs of him anywhere.

 

“He said he would be here…” Billy frowns. “Maybe he’s running late. Let’s get inside and have you registered, he’ll show up eventually.”

 

They enter the building to find it emptier than they’d expected it to be. Only a few men are hanging around in the front room drinking wine and whispering things back and forth. Seated at a table in the center, however, is a woman with stacks of parchment, a quill, and an ink well. Her raven hair is pulled back into a ponytail and it seems the scowl on her face is permanent.

 

“Who is that?” Trini whispers, not taking her eyes off of the woman. She’s occupied with writing her signature at the bottom of something and doesn’t appear to notice them.

 

Billy fidgets anxiously. “I think she — ”

 

“Are you here for the tournament?” The woman speaks firmly, and doesn’t bother to meet their gaze as she picks up another sheet. Her voice has a special icy tone to it, like a spear that could pierce through any kind of armor. Literal and metaphorical.

 

“Yes,” Billy answers, and when Trini nudges his arm he shoots her a quizzical look. Why would Trini-- oh yeah, he should probably clarify. “Actually, she is.”

 

That seems to get the woman’s attention, finally drawing her eyes from the parchment to stare at Trini. “I see,” she says, offering nothing short of a very obvious once over. Then she’s putting down the quill and folding her hands together as she continues, “You  _ are _ aware that the winner of this tournament will marry the princess, correct?”

 

“I’m aware,” Trini says, and it surprises her that her own voice does not waver. She keeps her eyes on the woman, who only stares back with this smile on her face that puts everyone in the room on edge. “So how do I register…  _ my lady _ ?” (The attitude tacked onto those last few words could very much get Trini thrown into a jail cell, but oh well.)

 

Billy looks between the two women as silence drapes over them, trying to figure out if he’s supposed to say something now. He’s opening his mouth to make a comment as the woman finally stands from her seat at the table. Her green dress is definitely something unique and must have cost her a lot of gold, and it would be hideous on anyone else but on her it almost seems regal.

 

“Let’s start over, shall we?” She chuckles, and even her laugh sounds wicked. “I am Rita, or Lady Repulsa as many people call me. If you’d like to register for the tournament...” Rita reaches across the table and unfolds a long piece of parchment, “...sign your name right here.”

 

The way she says it is almost like a challenge, so Trini walks up to the table confidently and ignores how others in the room stare. She stops in front of the table and stares Rita dead in the eyes as she picks up the quill. There are still doubts lurking deep in the back of Trini’s mind, but she can’t stop now, not here, so she dips the quill in ink and scribes her signature under the long list of other names.

 

When it’s done and her name is there, Trini stares at it.

 

Rita tosses her head back in a laugh, cackle almost. “My, you’re a brave one,” she says, taking the paper and rolling it up for safekeeping. There’s no taking it back now; Trini is officially on the list of contenders for Kim’s hand in marriage. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see  _ you _ as the winner tomorrow night.”

 

Genuinely surprised, Trini squints at Rita as she tries to find any hints of maliciousness in the words. But she finds nothing, only Rita’s off-putting smile.

 

“Now,” Rita says, motioning for Trini and Billy to leave. Her expression suddenly turns serious. “Off with you. I have other matters to take care of. People don’t make gold by standing around, you know!”

 

“Let’s go find Zack,” Billy suggests. Trini nods and follows him out the doors, finding no need to stay in that room with Rita any longer. As soon as they make it outside, both of them let out a sigh of relief. Billy laughs softly as he says, “She was really weird.”

 

“I think I’m more scared of her than the actual tournament,” Trini jokes, and Billy laughs some more. Then his eyes widen and he points down the road whispering,  _ look! _

 

Zack is heading towards them with a grin on his face, pulling along an unfamiliar wagon behind him. Trini groans.

 

“Zack, what did you steal this time?”

 

He shakes his head as he finally comes to a stop in front of them and wipes sweat off of his brow. “I didn’t steal anything, T. But check it out, you’re gonna love this!” He runs around to the side of the wagon, letting Trini get a good look of what’s on it. There’s a blanket covering whatever Zack  _ acquired _ for them, and he seems very excited to make the big reveal. “Ready?”

 

She can’t even say yes before he’s already pulling away the blanket to unveil —

 

A suit of armor. Granted, there are a few pieces missing and prevent it from being a complete suit of armor, but it is absolutely enough. A helmet, a breastplate, chainmail, gauntlets, shoulder pieces, boots. All of the pieces seem to be crafted carefully with good steel, and they are undoubtedly brand new.

 

“Zack, how did you…?” Trini walks up to the wagon and picks up the helmet with a yellow feather on top. The size of it looks fitting for her, which means Zack went all out on finding something perfect for her. “Where did you get this from?”

 

Zack shrugs. “I’ve been doing a few side jobs around here for the lords. Hunting, crafting, even a bit of spying for this one guy. I made a decent amount of gold over the past few months,” he says, and smiles at her. “Found an armory in the village this morning and bought you this.”

 

Bought. The greatest thief Trini has ever known to exist  _ bought _ her a suit of armor with the gold he made through his own hard work. If they weren’t in public right now, Trini would be crying already. No one has ever done anything like that for her before, and now that Zack has, she knows that she can’t lose. There is nothing that can stop Trini from winning that tournament anymore.

 

“Thank you,” Trini says, rubbing her eyes to ensure that no unshed tears fall. “It means a lot, Zack.”

 

“No need to thank me. You can thank me with lots of gold and wine after you marry the princess,” Zack snickers. She smirks at the comment, then runs her hand along the breastplate. “I picked whatever I thought would suit you. Physically and aesthetically.”

 

Trini examines the details engraved on the armor. “Really? A tiger?” She questions, tracing the shapes with her fingers. The most impressive part is the tiger emblem on the breastplate, really. She has no issues with the animal, because they are fierce, after all-- but why would Zack choose a tiger?

 

“You remind me of a tiger sometimes,” Zack explains. His signature, shit-eating grin appears on his face again. “Just a very small, baby tiger.”

 

That gets him a very hard punch to the arm, but even despite that comment, it’s perfect. Maybe this tournament won’t be so bad after all.

 

“Sir Jason!”

 

Someone in the village crowd shouts out, grabbing everyone’s attention all at once. Riding down the road on a horse is one of the handsomest men Trini has ever seen in this kingdom; his armor is most likely worth more than Trini, Zack, and Billy put together, and the thick red cloak flaps behind him as he rides. While he can’t be any older than Trini, there’s an aura of respect radiating from him.

 

No wonder everyone is obsessed with his existence.

 

“Guys, that’s Sir Jason!” Billy says a little too loudly, and Jason turns his head to look at them as he passes. Everyone is watching, like he’s already royalty that should be bowed down to. Some people actually do bow. Trini just holds her head high and stares him down — only to be ignored the entire time. Sir Jason only eyes Billy for a long moment before returning his focus to the road.

 

Weird.

 

“That is our future king,” a man says a few feet away, speaking to his buddy next to him. They cheer together, and the confidence in their voices nearly have Trini sick to her stomach. If they’re so sure Jason will be winning, they might as well start betting on it now. They’ll be broke men soon enough. 

 

Because here’s the thing-- he may have shiny armor and a village of supporters behind him, but he isn’t as special as everyone thinks he is. He’s just a knight dressed in red that will lose the tournament along with every other competitor. Once Trini is inside of that arena and fights against every odd stacked against her, there will be  _ nothing _ that can stop her.

 

She swears it.

 


	5. the yellow knight

“I’m not saying you have to win the tournament,” Zack starts, placing Trini’s helmet on her head. It fits perfectly, and he smiles to himself as a mental pat on the back for doing a fantastic job at selecting armor. “But you have to win the tournament. Billy and I bet all of our gold on you this morning.”

 

“Everyone looked at us like we had two heads,” Billy laughs and nods. The two of them have been joking around since sunrise, trying to get Trini to lighten up before the tournament. Only an hour stands between her and a series of battles that will determine the rest of her life. Trini will either marry Kim and have a surprisingly happy ending, or… these are the last few moments of her life. Regardless, she has to clear her mind. If the nerves get the best of her, she’ll stand no chance in the arena.

 

In preparation of the tournament, there are hundreds of tents set up near the castle. Every single one is a shade of pink, light and dark, with pink flags waving at the top. While today will be a day of violence and possible death, it is also a celebration for the kingdom. Their princess will find her prince— or princess, if Trini can truly pull this off, and eventually Kim will become queen alongside today’s winner. Bands are playing and food is being served with only the finest wine. Dancers perform for the noblemen and other visitors. Everyone is doing something; many are drinking and feasting, while others are warming up for the fight.

 

And then there is Trini. It took time to make sure all of the armor was on correctly, but after some time Billy and Zack assured her that she looked like the best knight in town. (That is definitely an exaggeration. If anything, she looks like a suspiciously small knight who is in way over their head.)

 

“One last thing to put on, T.” Zack turns around to pick something up off of a nearby crate. When he brings it over, Trini examines it; a yellow cloak with darker shades stitched into it as various designs. At the top of it is a sun, and at the bottom is a running tiger. While the cloak is stunning on its own, the part that holds the most significance is the color. Yellow.

 

The color of her home kingdom, and her family’s sigil.

 

Oddly enough, it doesn’t hurt to consider wearing her family’s color. So Trini motions for Zack to put the cloak on her, and he does with a wide grin. The material isn’t too heavy, which is fortunate, because anything too heavy would be a hinderance in battle. She’s not planning on taking this off any time soon.

 

“You look great!” Billy exclaims, clapping his hands excitedly. Even Zack looks impressed.

 

Before Trini can say anything to them, a horn sounds.

 

“All tournament competitors must head into the main tent within the next half hour!”

 

That’s her cue. Trini turns to the boys— _her_ boys, at this point— and doesn’t hesitate to pull them both in for a group hug. They’re both startled by the action, and Zack remains frozen for some time until he actually processes what is happening. A hug.

 

“Good luck, Trini,” Billy says as they break apart, smiling at her. The extra crease on Billy’s forehead gives away the fact that he’s worried, but his smile is hopeful. How was Trini lucky enough to find this boy?

 

“You’re gonna do great,” Zack says. He pats her on the helmet and Trini nods, not being able to smile at him or roll her eyes from underneath it. They’ve been around each other enough to understand body language by now though. Zack grins at her and points to the enormous tent in the distance. “Now go, before I hug you again.”

 

That gets a laugh out of her, and with one final wave Trini leaves to make her way over.

 

The main tent is crowded already. As soon as Trini steps inside, she’s hit with the smell of wine and sweaty men. People are shouting and there’s most likely a fight going on somewhere between two irrational and drunk competitors, which everyone is cheering over, but Trini is more interested in finding a quiet spot to resign to. She squeezes past several people without seeing a single familiar face, though that isn’t a surprise. Most of the men from their dining hall the other night chickened out. While pushing her way past two men discussing the king’s royal guard, Trini catches a glimpse of a green cloak in the crowd. Tommy Oliver, with their dragon armor and green decorations, is busy talking to a group of knights.

 

Distracted, Trini doesn’t realize that she’s about to run into someone until it actually happens. She collides with whoever it is, their armor crashing together in a loud clang that startles a few others. It takes her a moment, but Trini eventually looks up through the eyeholes of her helmet to see the person in her way.

 

“I hope you’re more attentive on the battlefield,” Sir Jason says, taking a step back. He smiles as he speaks, and Trini is shockingly not offended by his words. “Nice to meet you. I’m…”

 

“Sir Jason,” Trini finishes for him. She reaches up and pulls away the part of her helmet that covers her face. After speaking, there’s no hiding that she’s a woman; it doesn’t matter if he sees her face or not. But Trini stares him down, making Jason stiffen.

 

“...And you’re a woman. I’m surprised, but I don’t doubt that you could fight any man in here,” Jason says. He’s already relaxed again, gazing around the room. That act alone says a lot about his character, because anyone else would probably ridicule Trini if they found out she was an actual competitor in this tournament. “I _am_ surprised that they let you sign up, though.”

 

“Trust me,” Trini sighs, “the lady at Goldar’s definitely wanted me dead with the way she was glaring at me.” Jason laughs, and it’s a nice soft sound, unlike the roars of laughter that she hears on a daily basis. Overall, there’s something different about Jason. He is definitely a pretty boy, that’s for sure-- the sandy brown hair color and his long eyelashes that cover blue eyes. He’s clean and well-shaven. Not many people take great care of their appearance, but Jason surely does.

 

“I was more scared of Rita than I am of the tournament,” Jason says, and this time Trini laughs. They fall into a brief silence, watching everyone else in the room mess around and chat with each other. Then Jason opens his mouth, hesitates, and adds, “So… You’re interested in the princess?”

 

Trini snorts, eyes following the movements of everyone around them. “Yeah,” she says and folds her arms across her chest. “And I’m pretty sure I love her more than anyone in here ever could.”

 

The words come out easily, but there’s still a bite to them. That anger still resonates somewhere inside of her, because being stuck in a situation like this one is far from ideal. Jason only nods, staring off deep in thought.

 

“I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be offended by that,” Jason jokes, and the corner of his mouth curls into a small smile. He still isn’t directly looking at her, watching three men argue on the other side of the tent.

 

“You’re not?” Trini eyes him.

 

“Do you think I _want_ to marry the princess?” He says, but immediately freezes. Apparently he wasn’t supposed to let that bit of information slip out, because now Jason is facing her with a panicked expression that reads _oh shit._ “I mean, ha— uh, of course I’m interested in the princess. Why wouldn’t I—”

 

Trini raises an eyebrow, a silent gesture that implies she can see right through his bullshit. He sighs, glancing around to make sure no one else is listening. How could he just let that slip so easily? And he’s never been good at lying, either, ever since he was a young boy. This is bad.

 

“I’m only here because my father wants me to win,” Jason explains, shifting awkwardly. “My parents think that if our two kingdoms unite, everything would be perfect. I don’t know how to tell them that I can’t always be this person that I’m not.”

 

Well, Trini understands that _completely_. The combination is weird, her and Jason, but it turns out that this knight in red understands her better than anyone ever has. Sure, maybe they aren’t exactly alike, but—

 

“I’m, uh…” Jason bites the inside of his cheek, eyes darting around the room. “I’m not exactly interested in princesses. If you… If you get what I mean.”

 

Oh. Maybe they’re even more alike than Trini thought.

 

And to imagine Jason being forced to marry Kim, a girl he could never love in that kind of way, his family having him live a life that restricts who he can and cannot be— it puts everything in a new perspective.

 

“You’re going to lose.” Trini says, and Jason gawks at her in confusion. Sure, he might not want to win, but he’s still one of the best knights this realm has ever seen. Then again, there’s a new fire and confidence in the way Trini is speaking. “You don’t have to let me win, because I’m going to kick your ass regardless. But you’re going to lose. I’ll win over the princess, and you’ll be free from this.”

 

Jason smiles at her. Finding people who are willing to challenge him so openly is a rare occurrence; finding people that actually get him excited to fight is rarer. This girl is one in a million, that much is for sure. “Sounds like a deal,” he says, nodding. “I didn’t get your name, by the way. Your house sigil isn’t familiar to me.”

 

“My name is Trini.” She covers her face with the helmet again just as another horn blows, a signal that the tournament will begin shortly. “...And I have no house.”

 

**

 

Forty-one competitors.

 

The arena is only so big; a circular patch of dirt enclosed by wooden posts and cheering audiences. Even so, each fighter finds a spot to stand in around the edge of the arena. Trini chooses to place herself across from Jason, ensuring that they won’t have to face each other until later. She knows that the kingdom is looking for a duel to talk about for centuries, and they’re going to get it-- only if Trini and Jason are the last two standing.

 

Tommy Oliver is positioned closer to her, only separated by two people between them. It’s a shame that Trini couldn’t say hello or wish them luck, because she can only imagine the look on their face if they knew she was here.

 

Next to her is the bearded man from dinner, who is already sweating. He won’t last long in a free for all battle like this one. On her left is a man Trini doesn’t recognize, but his armor looks legitimate. That can only mean he’s of highborn, representing a wealthy family from a wealthy far off kingdom and most likely has real swordsmanship training. The first few moments of this battle will be easy: all Trini has to do is dodge blows and escape the more bloody fights. Only after the chaos dies down will she start challenging people.

 

They’re all ready to go, prepared for battle, when a man steps up to a platform outside of the arena. The sun is shining brightly in the sky, so Trini has to squint in order to see him. Behind him is a long table with three chairs and plates full of food. “Now presenting the King and Queen, as well as Princess Kimberly!” He announces, and a loud applaud commences.

 

Oh. Right.

 

Trini is pretty sure she just stopped breathing momentarily, because she hasn’t seen Kim in _so long_ yet she looks just as beautiful as she did the last time they were together. She walks into view with her parents, and she looks nervous, or scared, even. You can’t blame her, though; soon she’ll be setup to marry a random knight that she hardly knows. (If Trini can pull this off, that fortunately won’t be the case.)

 

The three of them sit down at the table. Queen Maddie is whispering something to the king that makes him smile, but Kim is busy studying everyone in the arena. It’s obvious what she’s looking for— or, at least, it’s obvious to Trini.

 

Kim is looking for her.

 

Her eyes roam over every single person, and Trini’s heart stills the moment Kim looks in her direction. Whatever she was expecting, whether it was a cry of happiness or a look of relief, it doesn’t happen. Kim just continues looking, becoming more and more dejected as she doesn’t find the face she’s looking for.

 

Curse this armor. Well, Trini needs it, but it doesn’t change how defeated Kim looks up there. If only Trini could just run up there and wrap her arms around her, or kiss her the way she’s been dreaming about since the night they—

 

“Competitors, ready!” The same man shouts, and in an instant everyone in the arena gets into position. Trini grips her sword tightly, and the familiarity of it is comforting. She pushes all thoughts of Kimberly aside for now. Only the arena and its fighters matter in this moment.

 

He blows the horn, officially initiating the battle.

 

Right off the bat, men are running towards each other with loud battle cries and insults. Trini slips between as many people as she can, avoiding blades and aggressive tackles. One man gets in her way and she knocks his sword away easily, sending him scrambling in another direction to retrieve it. All around her are screams of pain. She’s not planning on killing anyone today, not intentionally at least, but there are already bodies littering the ground. Some people aren’t capable of showing mercy.

 

Another man starts to swing at her, and his weakness is his lack of real armor. He has chainmail on, but that can only do so much in a situation like this. Trini dodges a blow and strikes at his leg, leaving a deep enough gash that sends him into a kneeling position. That’s enough of a victory for her.

 

She starts to head for another section of the arena when Tommy Oliver steps in front of her. They immediately start attacking, not holding back. Trini notices— and yes, her main strategy here is to locate weaknesses first— that Tommy has very poor form. They go for the aggressive route, simply swinging with pure force to intimidate their opponent. After Trini manages to counter every move and dodges a few others, Tommy charges towards her. It’s a shame, because if she were anyone else she might’ve been too slow to dodge it, but Trini has always been quick on her feet. She side steps it easily, and Tommy ends up running into another knight who’d been fighting nearby.

 

They back up, staring at the knight, who turns around and in the blink of an eye drives his sword through Tommy’s neck. The blood sprays everywhere, and Tommy’s body instantly goes limp. It’s pretty fucking terrible, but not the worst Trini has seen.

 

Anyway, the least Trini can do is avenge poor Tommy Oliver. They never did anything wrong to her, technically.

 

She makes the first move, clashing swords with the knight. He chuckles, clearly finding _something_ amusing about this. Is it her size? Her boldness? It doesn’t matter what his reasoning is, because Trini gets annoyed by it either way. She swings again, and again, building up a pattern to deceive her opponent. The moment he thinks he’s got her, blocking for a sword that never comes, is when Trini uses her real strike. She slashes, not with the most strength or power, but enough to cut deep into the man’s shoulder. He yelps and yields in a matter of seconds, and Trini smirks to herself.

 

The numbers start to dwindle down pretty fast, from 23 to 15, to 9, to 7, to 4. Blood is pooling everywhere, and there are more bodies on the ground. Trini has stuck to her morals and hasn’t killed anyone so far. That isn’t to say their injuries won’t get infected and possibly kill them eventually anyway, but she’s doing her best here.

 

She gets her current opponent to yield after knocking his sword out of the arena entirely. He slowly stands and walks away, and as he does Trini hears a body collapse behind her. The crowd is cheering wildly, which only means one thing: two remain.

 

Trini turns around and there on the other side of the arena stands Jason, who lifts his helmet to reveal that he is very obviously fighting back a smile. She is, too, because they’re about to give this kingdom the greatest show they’ve ever witnessed. Most of the audience chants are in Sir Jason’s favor, telling him to “ _kill the bastard already!_ ” She drowns most of it out, though, because the only thing left between Trini and Kimberly is this final duel. Jason versus Trini.

 

Red versus yellow.

 

They circle each other, closing in on the space separating them, and Trini can’t find it within herself to feel afraid. Then Jason is darting forward for the first attack, and it doesn’t surprise her, because patience has always been easy for Trini in duels like these. She doesn’t move, only blocks Jason’s sword and swings soon after. It turns into a series of collisions between their swords; one made of the expensive, strong steel, and the other sleek but sturdy.

 

An interesting metaphor, too.

 

Even though Trini refuses to let Jason win this match, the battle is still intense. The crowd is on the edge of their seats, screaming and cheering at a deafening volume. When was the last time this kingdom saw a duel as good as this one? Trini easily dodges another swing from Jason, and slams the hilt of her sword into his back. The force sends him face first into the dirt, but he gets back to his feet quickly. Something changes in his demeanor after that, and Trini thinks he’s been holding back this entire time-- and he’s realizing now that he doesn’t have to.

 

He gets a few good hits in on her after that. There’s going to be a ridiculous amount of bruises on Trini’s body later along with a few cuts, though she should be thankful that it isn’t worse. They meet in another sword-on-sword clash, and Trini almost stumbles with the strength Jason is putting out. If duels simply depended on sheer strength, Jason would have won this tournament already. They don’t though, which is fortunate for Trini. She likes to think of herself as a relatively balanced fighter. Not too strong, not too fast or too slow, and definitely not dumb. Some of her strategies may be from Billy’s advice, but figuring out when to use them in battle is all Trini.

 

So when Trini spots an opening, the perfect opportunity, she takes it. Jason has his sword in the air, swinging it down with whatever brute force he can muster, but Trini moves around him before it can hit her. She sticks out a foot that intercepts Jason mid-step and he trips forward. He hits the ground on his knees, and by the time Jason can process what is happening Trini is in front of him, striking the sword out of his hands. It hits the ground a few feet away.

 

Trini places her blade against Jason’s neck, chest heaving and body practically boiling inside of this armor. It doesn’t occur to her that the duel is over until Jason is pulling off his helmet, with a stunned look on his face. The crowd is completely silent.

 

Trini won.

 

Everyone had been expecting and rooting for Sir Jason’s victory, but to their surprise this… random unknown just won the tournament. Only a few people are cheering now, including Zack and Billy from the sidelines screaming at the top of their lungs. (After all, their best friend just got the girl _and_ they’re probably the richest men in this kingdom now.)

 

Then everyone is standing. Applauding. People look confused, but impressed, and it’s only right to clap for whoever just defeated one of the most famous knights in the realm. Even the King and Queen are applauding, while Kim remains seated. She still doesn’t look too thrilled, because as far as she knows, she’s going to be marrying a stranger.

 

As soon as the applause dies down, the king starts to speak. “Please, remove your helmet, brave knight! We must know the identity of our future king,” he says with a bright grin. Trini can physically feel her heart lodge itself in her throat, and how hard her blood is pumping (which is not because of the fight). The anxiety is suffocating, but she has no choice. This is it.

 

Trini removes her helmet slowly, letting her hair fall out first, and _fuck_ she can’t even look up, her eyes are glued to the ground as she takes it off completely. A large handful of people in the crowd gasp, and Trini finally gathers the strength to look at the platform and—

 

Kim is already standing, and if Trini’s eyesight isn’t fooling her, she’s _crying_. Of joy, she hopes. The silence of the crowd is deadly, and a very long moment passes before people start to clap again, which is surprising in itself. The king and queen look utterly confused. In fact, it seems the king is speechless, so the queen speaks instead.

 

“What is your name?” Queen Maddie asks, and the confusion seeps into the tone of her voice easily.

 

Everyone’s eyes are on her, so Trini keeps her head held high and tries her best to sound courageous or fearless or whatever people expect from knights. “My name is Trini,” she replies, and okay, maybe her voice cracks slightly at the end there. “I am a knight here in this kingdom, Your Grace.”

 

The king and queen exchange a look that Trini can’t quite understand, but it doesn’t matter— because Kim is already stepping down and heading for the arena, pushing past villagers and knights who are advising her to stop, and then she’s stepping past dead bodies without a care in the world. She’s only looking at Trini, only cares about Trini and the first thing she wants to do is hold Trini in her arms again.

 

Trini doesn’t hesitate, only drops her sword and pulls Kim into a welcoming embrace the moment she’s close enough.

 

“I thought you’d given up,” Kim whispers, body still trembling with tears as she buries her face into Trini’s neck.

 

Trini fights back her own tears and says, “On you, princess? Never.”

 

There’s going to be some complications, for sure— but the king and queen promised that the winner of their tournament, the best warrior in their kingdom, would marry Kimberly. Trini’s family will likely have to get involved eventually, and having _two_ queens will be a very strange shift for the kingdom, but it could work. No, it _will_ work.

 

Because Trini will always fight for her princess, no matter what.

 

**

  
  


This story has been passed on throughout the generations, for motivation, for inspiration, and for entertainment.

 

A woman braver than the odds stacked against her, fighting solely for the woman she loves. The two starcrossed princesses who went on to rule together for the rest of their lives in a far off kingdom, where they were adored and respected. Many people believe it not to be true, but there are many people who think it is. Who _know_ it is. And many people will continue to share this tale— the story of a thief in black, the boy in blue, a knight in red— and the yellow knight who fell for a princess with pink flowers in her hair.

 

 **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaand that's it. (wow, my first finished multi-chapter fic? unbelievable.)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hmu @ cabooseachievables on tumblr if you want. Shout out to Sadeel for helping me edit chapters 4 and 5 :))


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